


Artemis Fowl and the Kalos Journey

by MistressOfDarkMagic



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, I'm not sure how else to tag this, Kalos-chihou | Kalos, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Trainer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 05:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10269473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressOfDarkMagic/pseuds/MistressOfDarkMagic
Summary: An experiment gone wrong has Artemis falling into a world inhabited by incredible creatures known as Pokémon, and where the main pastime is Pokémon battling. Landing a gig as a research intern for one Professor Sycamore, Artemis shall journey across the Kalos region in search of a way back home. But what is this Team Flare nonsense all about?





	1. Crash Landing

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This playthrough was inspired by drakon49's "New World" and my own desire to do a nuzlocke but lacking any artistic talent. This is not a nuzlocke, because if Pokémon died in battle I can't imagine Artemis participating and that would ruin the whole concept, so it's a playthrough. Anyway, sit back and enjoy.

Artemis was falling, second by second bringing him closer to terminal velocity - and his final destination. Blue swam past his eyes as he flipped end over end rapidly, arms flailing desperately, even though he knew no aid would be found. Wind shrieked past his ears, and his suit jacket had already been yanked away from his body long ago, the dress shirt he wore underneath billowing and threatening to go the same way.

"D'Arvit!" He screamed, unable to even hear his own voice. Oddly enough, the only thought running through his head was how he was going to kill Foaly, whether he survived or not. Not seemed most likely.

He could see the ground now, and although it was blurry through the tears streaming from his eyes, he thought he could see buildings and maybe even some people growing larger at an alarming rate.

_Please move_ , he thought. _I don't want to crush one of you on landing_.

He closed his eyes, and bared his arms over his head.

"Charizard! Fly!" A male voice, followed by a deep growl. A whistling noise, and suddenly Artemis felt himself being gently caught in thin arms, and rising back up. Something sharp, four somethings to be precise, were digging into his side, and he wanted to open his eyes to see his savior. He couldn't, though, and the black grew darker and swallowed him.

* * *

 

_"An interesting concept." Artemis mused. "But what practicality does it have for the LEP? Last I checked, dimension jumping isn't a common practice among convicts, or anyone else for that matter."_

_Foaly snorted. "Just because it's not now doesn't mean it never will be. When Qwan and No 1 dropped into town, they revived forms of magic not practiced since the age of Frond. Just a matter of time before someone starts trying to attempt the spell used to lift Hybras out of time and space and ends up either sucking something important in or bringing something deadly out."_

_Artemis nodded slowly. "A fair point." He conceded. "May I assume you brought me down here to help check calculations? I appreciate the personal visit - it's been a long time since I've gotten to see Holly and you in person - but surely I could have run the numbers just as easily from the surface."_

_"Nope, Fowl, you're here for a different reason. You are here to watch its first test. Since you and Holly were the inspiration, I thought it only fitting. Plus I thought you might be able to tell me what's happening in there, having actually been in a space-time tunnel before."_

_Artemis tipped his head. "How thoughtful. But if you truly intend to try and open a window to another dimension," he waved a hand at the horseshoe-shaped metal contraption covered in wires and circuits, "shouldn't there be more protection than the glass?"_

_Foaly brushed away the human's concern. "That glass is bullet-proof, laser-proof, fireball-proof, and even bomb-proof. Trust me, it'll be fine. I've got Qwan and No 1 on standby, too, just in case."_

_Artemis nodded slowly. "Alright, then. Let us begin."_

* * *

 

Awareness returned to Artemis, but he was careful not to outwardly show it. He kept his breathing slow and deep in a mimicry of sleep, and forced his eyelids not to immediately snap open, just like Butler had taught him. Instead, he focused on his other senses to survey his surroundings.

He was lying on his back on a soft surface, most likely a mattress, with at least two pillows propping his head up. A soft rhythmic beeping was coming from his left, along with the small chittering of a bird. A sterile tang inhabited his nose and mouth, like a mixture of hand sanitizer and Windex, and a cold chill soaked him, despite the sheets that covered the lower half of his body.

A hospital, Artemis summarized. He had been in one enough times to recognize the universal characteristics. Armed with this knowledge, Artemis slowly opened his eyes.

It was indeed a hospital room, generic and bland without any indication of where it was located in the world. The walls were a pale mint green, and fluorescent lights were harsh above him. A monitor balanced on a table was connected to a tight cuff on his left wrist and beat out his pulse. The bed he was lying on was a standard bulky hospital bed, with thin white sheets pulled up to his chest.

There appeared to be no one else in the room. Artemis slowly sat up, wincing slightly at the ache in his muscles, and cast his gaze around the room again. There were two doors, one to his right and one in front of him, and a window to the left. A plastic chair was seated at the right of the head of his bed, and a bundle of clothes that Artemis recognized as his laid on it. Looking down, Artemis saw he was clothed in a hospital gown.

His breath hitched, and he reflexively grabbed at a spot just below his neck. It wasn't there. Artemis dove at the pile of clothes, pulling the entire thing into his lap and pawing through it frantically. A glimmer of gold drew his attention, and he sighed in relief as he pulled out the fairy coin that always hung around his neck. He had feared that whoever had redressed him might have pocketed the keepsake out of curiosity, but they had been professional and put it with the rest of his things.

He re-tied the leather necklace around his neck, then examined his clothing more thoroughly. His pants seemed to have survived alright, but his shirt was nearly torn to shreds and not fit to wear. A pity, Artemis thought absently. Hopefully he could find a suitable replacement soon.

Bringing him to the question, where exactly was he? He hadn't the slightest clue. He wasn't even sure he was in his own dimension anymore; though if it was another dimension, it seemed to be on a remarkably similar level to his own in regards to medical technology.

He pulled the sheets off of his legs and swung them over to the edge of the bed. He stood, bare feet protesting at the contact with the chilled tiled floor, and careful not to snag the heart monitor on anything, made his way to the window.

It appeared that the hospital he was in stood in a small town. Directly across the path (Artemis hesitated to call the narrow brick strip a road) below was a café, a few tables scattered in front and the odd couple enjoying the sunshine in the chairs. The path turned into stairs that lead to a few shops surrounding a fountain, and past that was a bridge that went over a small river. After that, the path turned to dirt and weeds and trailed off into forest.

It . . . looked like Earth. The sky was blue, the trees that stood in the distance had healthy green leaves, and grass grew in between the brick of the walk below. It looked like it could have been Earth, but somehow Artemis doubted that it was. While it looked like Earth, something just didn't feel right. It felt off, like the colors in a familiar painting being just a shade off, or the furniture in your bedroom being shifted just a couple inches out of place. It wasn't really something you could pin down, but there was always a little nagging in the back of your mind that something was fundamentally wrong . . .

. . . Like the bug that was crawling along the windowsill just on the other side of the glass. It was reminiscent of a caterpillar, with a long green segmented body and short legs to help move it along. But it was far larger than any of the common caterpillars he had seen in the gardens at Fowl Manor, coming to nearly a foot in height as it reared up onto its lower legs to look at him. It also had a yellow-colored tail that vaguely reminded Artemis of a rattlesnake's, large black eyes that didn't seem as mindless as the insects Artemis had encountered before, and an odd protrusion on its head that seemed almost like an antler or horn of some sort.

Almost absently, Artemis reached up to the window latch and twisted it open, pushing the pane of glass up so he could more closely examine the insect. It gave a little chirr as it eyed him, tiny legs wiggling at the sight of him but unable to reach him through the wireframe separating the room from the outside. Its eyes sparked, reminding Artemis almost uncomfortable of the horses back at Fowl Manor – animals, yet with an air of intelligence about them.

A new arrival – a bird landed on the ledge, opposite of the large caterpillar. This creature, at least, fit within the realm of what Artemis was familiar with. It was about a foot tall (reaching the same height as the bug), and had a red-feathered head and a gray-feathered body. Its eyes, legs, and beak were black, and its tail feathers were black with a thick white stripe running across them.

The bird was eyeing the caterpillar with intent eyes, and before Artemis could even blink, the bird had darted at the bug with a loud chirp of a battle cry, banging against it with its small body before pulling back, flapping its wings as it hovered over the ledge to reorient itself.

The caterpillar seemed dazed, but with a shake of its head, the fogginess in its eyes vanished. It took a deep breath in, then let out a cry off its own. What seemed to be string shot out of the bug's mouth, hitting and wrapping around the bird and binding its wings to its body, causing it to crash back down to the ledge. As the bird struggled to free itself, the bug turned down, and began to crawl off the ledge and down the side of the building.

Meanwhile, the bird was struggling against its constraints, chirping furiously as it scratched at the sticky string tying its wings to its body. Vaguely, Artemis wondered if his gift of tongues would work with this creature. Back home, he had tested it using online audio files of languages he was unfamiliar with. Casually listening to the words resulted in nothing, but if he concentrated and brought his magic up to the forefront of his mind, he could understand the language perfectly. He had never tried animals, but the People seemed to be able to communicate with them quite well.

Probing his mind for a connection to his magic, he spoke. _"Hello. Can you understand me?"_

The bird immediately halted in its struggles. " _The human pokespeaks_?" It chirped in surprise. " _Human speaks to me_?"

Well, that answered his question. "Yes," he said, "I am speaking to you. Would you like some help?"

" _Please._ " It accepted sheepishly. _"Caterpie string is strong."_ Caterpie string? Was the bug creature called a Caterpie?

Artemis fiddled with the screen and lifted it up, then gently cupped the bird in his palm, cradling it lightly against his chest and using his free hand to gently pull away the string. Wrinkling his nose at the sticky slime that coated each strand, he scrapped the remains of the web trap onto the window ledge and made sure that he set the now free bird as far away from the mess as possible.

_"Thank you, human_!" The bird chirped happily. It flapped its wings exuberantly.

" _You are quite welcome. My name is Artemis. What is yours_?"

The bird tilted its head. " _Your kind call me Fletchling. My kind call me Foxfire_." His kind, meaning humans? Was Fletchling the name of the bird's species, or their word for birds?

_"It is nice to meet you, Foxfire_." Artemis simply said.

" _Well met, Artemis_." Foxfire nodded. It then stilled. " _One is coming_."

Artemis perked his ears, and sure enough, he could faintly hear the clattering of shoes against linoleum tile, growing steadily louder.

" _I'm afraid I can't talk to you anymore at the moment. Will you come back soon_?" Artemis said quickly. He had no idea what exactly his situation was, and getting caught speaking to the wildlife may not bode well for him.

" _Of course, Artemis! Until then_!" Foxfire chirped, flapping its wings and taking off towards the town below. That taken care of, Artemis relaxed his magic, refastened the screen, and turned to face one of the doors to his room as it slowly opened.

Revealed in the doorway was a petite woman with one of the oddest hairstyles Artemis had seen above the earth (dyed(?) pink and styled into two large rings below and behind her ears) and wearing a pink and white nurse's uniform, complete with a little white hat perched on her head.

Artemis began to reach for his magic, but before he could, the nurse spoke, and to Artemis's shock, he could understand her perfectly.

"Oh, you're awake!" She had said, in French.

She continued to speak as she rushed over to him and gently grabbed his arm, beginning to guide him back to the bed. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, and I'm sure Professor Sycamore will be too, but you must get back into bed and rest some more. That was quite a fall you had."

"Excuse me," Artemis interrupted the nurse's mother-henning (but conceded to sit back down on the bed; his legs had already begun to shake with strain), "but can you tell me where I am?"

"You are in Acquacorde, at the Pokémon Center, of course. You fell from so high up and blacked out when the Professor's Charizard caught you; where did you think you would be?"

Three sentences, but Artemis felt like they had given him more questions than answers. Pokémon Center? Charizard? And this was the second time she had mentioned a professor.

"What on earth happened to you?" The nurse continued to fuss over him, checking the readings on his monitor and taking notes on a clipboard that had hung on the edge of the bed. "Were you Flying to another town and fell off of your Pokémon?"

That word again! What was a Pokémon?

The nurse looked up at him expectantly. Artemis thought fast.

"I am afraid I have no recollection of how I got here, Miss . . . "

"Nurse." She corrected. "Nurse Joy. Short-term amnesia isn't uncommon following traumatic events –"

"You misunderstand, Nurse Joy. I don't remember anything beyond my name and age."

The nurse stared at him with a look of shock on her face. "Are you sure? I've never – have you been near any Beheeyem?"

"Any what?" Artemis screwed his face into the most clueless expression he could manage. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Very little of what you have told me makes sense. I don't know what a Pokémon Center is, or who this Professor you keep mentioning is. Could you explain?" He looked at her pleadingly, doing his best to appear innocent and sincere. Not an easy feat, but a necessary one if he was to pull this off.

"Oh dear." The nurse frowned pityingly. "It appears you must have stumbled upon a very strong Beheeyem. They're known for manipulating memories, but I've never heard of a case this extreme. You said you remember your name, though, dear?"

"Yes, my name is Artemis." Artemis extended a hand, and Nurse Joy shook it tenderly. "But again, I have no idea what a Beheeyem is, though it doesn't sound like a very pleasant thing."

"A Beheeyem is a Psychic-type Pokémon that lives primarily in the desert." Nurse Joy rattled off, as if reading from a textbook.

"But what is a Pokémon?" Artemis questioned. "And what do you mean by Psychic-type?"

Nurse Joy looked worryingly at him. "You really don't remember Pokémon? They are the creatures that inhabit our world. Everything from the Fletchlings and Weedles in the forest, to the Wailords and Crawdaunt in the oceans, to the Onix and Gravelers in the mountains, all of them are Pokémon."

Ah, Artemis thought. So Pokémon was the word the people of this world used to describe the animals. But . . . didn't she say he was at a Pokémon Center? Did this mean he was being treated at a veterinary clinic?!

"Pokémon are broken down into 18 different typings, which are determined by the kind of moves they are capable of learning and performing, and what kind of moves they are weak to."

"Moves?"

The nurse pursed her lips. "Moves are skills that Pokémon possess that, in the wild, are used to defend and attack against other wild Pokémon. These skills are classified into types, such as Fire, Water, Psychic, or Bug, for example, and the types of moves a Pokémon uses, along with other factors like Abilities and weaknesses, determine their typing."

Artemis mulled over this new information. From the sound of it, Pokémon were not exactly like the animals of his own world, if they had skills that could be classified as Fire and Psychic.

"You said in the wild. What are their skills, sorry, moves, used for when not in the wild?" Though the very fact that they were called moves . . .

"Pokémon battling is a very popular sport. Trainers build a team of Pokémon to take on other trainers, gyms, and if they are strong enough, the Pokémon League. The League consists of the Elite 4 and the Champion. If one beats the Elite 4, one can battle the Champion. If the challenger wins, they become the new Champion, and are recognized as the strongest Trainer in the region. At least, until a challenger can dethrone them. That isn't very common, though. Decades can pass without changes in the League."

She looked at him. "Is any of this ringing a bell?"

Artemis shook his head. "No, but thank you for explaining. It was . . . very informative. What exactly is a Pokémon Center, then?"

"Pokémon Centers are places dedicated to supplying Trainers with medical care for their Pokémon in the case of illness or severe battle wounds, and providing medicines and travel supplies."

"Do Pokémon get injured in battle often?" Artemis asked distastefully. The idea of creatures being forced to battle each other to the point of injury was not one he condoned. He actually did approve of all of his mother's donations to charities that rescued abused animals and dogs that had been trained as fighting dogs.

"Oh, no, hardly ever seriously. Pokémon battling isn't usually harmful to the Pokémon that participate, but incidents do happen, so it's best to be prepared."

"How can Pokémon battle but not be harmed?" Artemis questioned, but his mind was spinning. Were Pokémon battles like the sparring Butler and Juliet indulged in when they worked out in their dojo? The possibility of severe injury or even death was always there, but each combatant knew how to pull themselves back from that finishing blow without limiting themselves from the full range of their abilities.

Nurse Joy gave him an odd look. "Are you from Unova, by any chance? Does the name Team Plasma seem familiar?"

Artemis shook his head, so the nurse went on with her explanation.

"Pokémon have incredible healing factors. It takes a lot of power to damage one. Instead, what's more likely to happen in a battle is that one Pokémon will become exhausted through the combination of attacking, defending, and getting attacked, and perform an action called 'fainting'. It's not fainting like you or I might do, but a biological process that basically shuts a Pokémon down so that they may have time to recover their energy before any real damage can be done. In the wild, this can often lead to the losing Pokémon's death, but in a Trainer battle, it just means they have lost the round, and are returned to their Pokeball to speed up their recovery."

"Pokeball?" Artemis asked before he could pull the question back.

The nurse sighed, resigning herself to having to explain many things that appear to be such common knowledge she can't believe anyone could have forgotten it, but before she can continue, a buzzing sound comes from a small device on her wrist. She held it up to comfortable viewing height and tapped the screen.

"Oh, dear." She muttered. "James and his Weedle again." She tapped the screen once more, then looked back at Artemis. "I'm afraid I have to go and take care of this in person. I'll send some books to you with Audino; hopefully they can answer more of your questions quicker than I can."

"I would appreciate that, thank you." Artemis nodded.

"You are very welcome." Sparing one more glance at the monitor, Nurse Joy exited the room, leaving Artemis to ponder the information he had received, and the new questions it had raised.

Approximately 15 minutes later, there was a knock at his door.

"Come in." Artemis raised his voice. He expected it to be Nurse Joy, or one of her counterparts, either to check on him once again or deliver those books she promised, but stepping into the room was a creature unlike any he had seen before.

It stood almost 4 feet tall and was pink and cream in color, with bright blue eyes that Artemis could see even from across the room. Its head was round with two enormous ears that reminded Artemis of an elephant's, except they also had small feelers dangling from them. It had four limbs, two arms and two legs, that seemed almost stubby when compared to the almost rotund body they were attached. A small nurse's hat identical to Nurse Joy's was perched on its head, and in its arms it carried a small stack of books.

It waddled over to his bedside, where he laid with the top half of the bed propped up so he could remain in a sitting position. It placed the books it carried on the bed beside his legs.

"Audino!" The thing chirped cheerfully.

"Are these for me?" Artemis asked, picking the small pile up and into his lap.

"Audino!" The creature nodded.

Artemis recalled that Nurse Joy had said she would send Audino with the promised books. "Are you Audino?"

"Audino!" The creature nodded again.

"Are you a type of Pokémon as well?"

Another nod and cry of "Audino". It was growing a tad annoying, actually. Artemis was almost tempted to slip into the magical tongue simply to hear Audino say something other than its name, but he resisted.

"Thank you." He said instead.

"Audino!" Audino gave a small wave of farewell, then waddled back out the door, closing it behind it.

His second encounter with a Pokémon over, Artemis turned to his new treasure trove of information. He had received a book entitled A Beginner's Guide to Pokémon Training, a small but thick paperback that proclaimed itself to be a sightseer's guide to the Pokémon of the Kalos region, a map of said Kalos region, another book on the history and culture of the Kalos region, and a travel guide to Kalos (Artemis cleverly deduced he was in the Kalos region).

He choose the training guide to read first, and was just to about to crack it open when a thought occurred to him. He crossed the room to his window, and opened it, just in case Foxfire returned. It was always useful to have a first-hand account of what the situation was like, rather than rely on unknown sources. Satisfied, Artemis returned to the bed, got comfortable, and began to read.

* * *

 

4 hours later, the sun was setting, and Artemis was rubbing his eyes as he looked up from the multiple texts spread out on the bed before him.

It truly was a fascinating world that he had fallen into. He had never heard of anything like this before; the magic and technology of his own world couldn't hold a candle to what was possible here. Creatures that breathed fire and had psychic powers, ghosts and dragons floating through forests and tromping through fields, bigger-on-the-inside technology ripped straight from the scripts of Doctor Who episodes, it was simply incredible, and it was all completely common and ordinary to this world's inhabitants.

Of course, it was not a paradise. The history book spoke plenty of war, death, and destruction. This society had its faults, just like any other.

He had not stumbled upon utopia. People here were the same as they were back home, and for that Artemis was grateful.

He had just picked up the Pokémon guide book and begun to flip through it for the town the nurse had said he was in when a knock at the door pulled away his attention.

"Come in!" He intoned, allowing the book to fall shut.

It was not Nurse Joy or Audino that entered, but a man Artemis had not seen before. He was around 6 ft. tall, give or take an inch or two, with thick dark brown hair that curled up at its ends. He wore an indigo shirt with a large collar that flared out prominently, a pair of black skinny jeans held in place by a yellow belt with a simple silver buckle, and brown dress shoes with dull orange socks peeking out. Topping the whole ensemble was a white lab coat that draped down to his knees and had sleeves rolled up to just below the elbows. His face was clean shaven and more thin than full, and his eyes were a dull green that expressed concern and intrigue.

"Hello." Artemis thought it was as good a way as any to start a conversation.

"Hello, Artemis. It's nice to meet you." The man held out his hand, and Artemis politely shook it. "I don't suppose you know who I am?"

"I'm afraid not." Artemis shook his head. "May I ask who you are?"

"Of course! I'm Professor Sycamore, head of the Kalos Pokémon Research Center."

"Ah. Nurse Joy mentioned you. She said you were the one who saved me."

"My Charizard and I, yes." Professor Sycamore nodded humbly. He pulled up the spare chair and sat down tenderly. "It was a lucky catch. You really don't remember how you ended up in such a situation?"

"No, Professor. My mind is unfortunately blank, as I am sure you heard from Nurse Joy."

"Yes, well, I thought there was no harm in trying to prompt the memory." The professor back-tracked sheepishly. He gave a nervous cough and looked away, eyes then lighting on the guidebook Artemis had set aside among the other resources. "You're studying Kalos and its Pokémon?"

"I had the same thought as you, Professor. I was hoping that while refreshing my memory on the world I am in, I may stumble upon something that would trigger recall. As of yet, I have had no luck." Artemis sighed heavily, then wondered if he had overdone it. Judging by the guilt and sympathy that blossomed in the professor's eyes, though, he had not.

"That's – unfortunate." Sycamore said. An idea seemed to have occurred to the professor then, because his eyes lit up with the spark of inspiration, and a grin began to spread across his face. "But maybe I can help you with that."

"Really, Professor?" Artemis promptly voiced curiosity, making sure to tint his voice with the undertones of hope.

"How would you like to work for me?"

Artemis blinked. "Come again?" That had not been what he had expected.

"Sorry, let me explain." The professor began rummaging through his lab coat pockets, then pulled out a brochure. He held it out to Artemis, who took it and began skimming the information it contained.

"Every year, I choose 3 children from a town in Kalos to become interns for my organization. They are supplied with a Pokédex, a starter Pokémon, and a fully paid trainer card. The interns are then tasked with traveling the region and recording all Pokémon life they encounter along the way. The data they collect is recorded on their Pokédex and on the computers back at the center, where we can sift through it and check for any significant differences from data collected in the past. This way, we can focus on areas of interest in Kalos without spreading our resources across all of it."

"This year, the town I selected for interns is Vaniville Town, a very small town located a few miles south of here. Two girls already live there, and a boy called Calem was supposed to move in last week. The boy's mother changed her mind, unfortunately, and moved the family to Alola instead. Anyway, the point is we had planned for 3 interns, and all the supplies are already prepared for the third intern; all that is needed is someone to fill the spot."

"And you would extend such an honor to me?" Artemis looked up from the pamphlet. He had not been expecting such a turn of events. As far as where to go next, his plan had been to read as much as he could while he waited to be dismissed from the hospital (or managed to slip away, whichever proved necessary), then locate a library or information center and research more before deciding his next move. But here, being held out right in front of him, was a perfect opportunity. Being a research intern gave him the perfect cover for poking around for any ways back home, and a trainer card would go a long way to warding away questions about his past and identity, not to mention the free board and medical care that came with it.

"Why not? I need an intern, and you need a way to regain your memories. Surely someone in this region knows you, or something out there will jog your memory. It's a win-win situation."

"When you put it that way, Professor, how can I refuse?" Artemis had the urge to flash a vampire smile, but swallowed the instinct. He did not want to put off the professor just when he was about to hand him such a golden opportunity. "I accept your offer."

"Excellent!" Sycamore clapped his hands and rose from the chair. "Tomorrow at about 1pm, two of my interns from last years recruitment are bringing the Pokédexes, starters, trainer cards, and everything else you'll need to the café just across the way from here. I already informed Serena and Shauna of this; they're the other two interns, you'll meet them then."

"Thank you, Professor Sycamore, sincerely."

"It's no trouble. Just do your best to find your home, okay? Excellent!" The professor said once more, and then he was out the door and gone.

Artemis watched him go, then turned back to the books that described creatures that could summon fire and lightning at will, ghosts of children and ethereal beings that stalked the living at night, and scraps of metal and rock that had taken form and life. The beings that the pamphlet he held in his hands said he was supposed to study and, in some cases, was expected to train. What had he gotten himself into?


	2. Gwaine

The rest of the afternoon was spent rereading the books with a more critical eye than before, flipping through the guidebook and making mental notes on which Pokémon it would be wise to avoid, and repeatedly answering Nurse Joy when she poked her head in that yes, he was regaining his strength, and no, no memory of his home or family had returned.

He also thoroughly studied the pamphlet that the professor had given him, and in particular, the starter Pokémon he was to receive: A Water-Type called Froakie, which greatly resembled a frog with foam bubbles around its neck and hands, a Fire-Type called Fennekin, which was a yellow colored fox with an orange tail and ears, or a Grass-Type named Chespin, which looked like a cross between a squirrel and a chipmunk. He also looked up the evolved forms of these 3 Pokémon, and found that they would grow to be rather formidable creatures. Personally, Artemis did not have a preference for which one he was given. With proper training strategies that played to the Pokémon's strengths and team members that covered the Pokémon's weaknesses, any Pokémon could be powerful in battle.

And it was advisable that he indeed train his Pokémon for battle. At one point or another, no matter what he did, it was likely that he would be challenged to a battle that he would not be able to wiggle out of. It would be more cruel to subject his small little starter to a battle completely inexperienced than it would be to train them up so that they have some way of protecting themselves.

Dinner that night was a slightly depressing affair spent alone in his rapidly cooling room. He could only identify the bread he was served and the drink (water). The meat was something he had not tasted before, though it reminded him vaguely of fish, and none of the many types of berries in the pitiful plastic cup he was given were familiar.

He couldn't help but think of the gourmet meals Butler himself prepared on Sundays (the cooking staff took care of meals the other 6 days of the week, but Sundays were reserved for Butler), made from the finest ingredients and served at a table with Mother, Father, and the twins seated around it. His heart gave a pang at his family worlds away, and his confidence began to slip. What if he couldn't find any way back? This world was so different from his own; was there even any magic here like the kind he knew? That thought made him pause. Several Pokémon were classified as Psychic, described as having abilities like telekinesis, teleportation, and hypnosis. Could there be a Pokémon with abilities like the demon warlocks?

There was no way to know with the very limited knowledge he possessed at the moment, and he felt a newfound appreciation for the internship that had fallen into his lap and gave him a perfectly valid reason to extensively research Pokémon and travel to all corners of this region. Now more than ever, information would be his saving grace, and this internship was the key to obtaining it.

Soon, night fell, and a few minutes before lights out, Nurse Joy returned and conducted a brief check-up, finding him fit to be discharged the next day. Artemis suspected that he could have been discharged a couple hours after he had woken up (soreness wasn't really a good reason to keep someone in a hospital), but appreciated that the nurse was keeping him so he had a bed for the night. If she had discharged him, he would have been forced to find a bench or overhang to sleep under.

She also took a picture of him with a clunky looking camera that was most likely several years old, stating that Professor Sycamore need a picture for his trainer card. She had glanced at the open window, but did not comment, despite the chill creeping in.

Artemis laid down the bed and closed his eyes, drifting into an uneasy sleep plagued with half-formed dreams and speculations about what the next day would bring.

* * *

 

It wasn't quite midnight when a chirping noise drug Artemis from his rest. Still hazy from sleep, Artemis slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, vaguely frowning as he looked for the source of his disturbance. It came again, a high-pitched shrill that Artemis half-expected would wake someone else and send Nurse Joy running. Artemis blinked the last remnants of sleep from his eyes and focused on the direction from which the twittering came; there on the windowsill on the other side of the room sat Foxfire (the Pokémon Artemis had learned was a Normal/Flying-Type called Fletchling, and could one day evolve into a Fire/Flying Type called Talonflame).

Artemis called forth his magic just in time to hear Foxfire call out, " _Artemis!"_

" _I am up, Foxfire, you may stop shouting_." Artemis briskly replied.

" _Finally_." The bird huffed. _"I've been here forever_."

Artemis sincerely doubted that, but did not comment as he slipped out from under his covers. He shivered involuntarily as his bare feet made contact with the tile floor, and grabbed one of the blankets off the bed to shield him from the cold.

 _"I almost thought you would not return_." Artemis admitted as he approached the window.

" _You never said when later was, and I had to hunt. I missed that Caterpie earlier and couldn't find another one, so I had to settle for berries_."

" _You should have come to me, then. I had plenty_."

" _Next time, then."_ Foxfire paused. " _I've never talked to a human before_." The small bird admitted.

" _And I have never talked to a Fletchling, either. We are even. And I doubt there will be a next time; I am leaving tomorrow_."

 _"What? Why? You just got here_."

Artemis thought about how much he should tell the little robin; the bird may not have ever met another human that could speak with it, but that didn't mean that there weren't any, or that there weren't Pokémon that could communicate with humans. It was best to err on the side of caution.

" _I am not from here, and I wish to go home. I'm not sure how to get there, though, so I am going on a journey to find a way back_."

" _A journey_?" The Fletchling cocked its head. " _Like the ones the Pokémon chosen by humans in the woods take_?"

" _I don't know_." Artemis frowned. " _What do you mean by 'chosen by humans'?"_

" _Sometimes when humans travel through the forest nearby, they chose a Pokémon and put them in small balls. The Pokémon chosen leave and don't usually come back, except one did!_ " Foxfire chirped. " _A Pansear that was released. He told us all about the adventures he and his human had gone on. They had seen water bigger than the largest ponds, flown higher than the clouds, and climbed mountaintops above the trees_." The Fletchling sighed. " _I've always wanted to see those things for myself_."

Ah. Foxfire was referring to Pokémon caught by trainers. Artemis had of course read about this, but he had thought that the practice was more controlled than walking up to any random Pokémon and chucking a ball at it. Perhaps there was something he was missing.

" _Why don't you go, then_?" Artemis inquired.

Foxfire bowed its head. " _I don't know what it's like out there. I don't know where I can find food or water, or where the big Pokémon that eat other Pokémon are, and I'm too small to last long on my own without knowing. No Trainer ever wants me either. I'm smaller than others like me_." It said dejectedly.

Artemis bit the inside of his lip as he contemplated the thought that sprang in his mind. He was expected to build a team, and this Pokémon already seemed to like him. It also couldn't blab about him without him knowing if it was with him. Having two Pokémon to look after from the start might be difficult, but Foxfire already knew how to hunt and forage, so it actually be able to aid with his starter. It also actually wanted to come, which Artemis found far more appealing than forcibly kidnapping a Pokémon to drag along with him.

" _Would you like to come with me tomorrow then?"_ He asked.

Foxfire perked up. _"Wh-what? You - you mean it?"_ The bird asked warily.

" _Of course."_

 _"Yes_!" The Fletchling chirped. " _Of course."_

_"Good. I can't - chose, you now, I don't have any of the balls, but tomorrow -"_

_"Tomorrow you will?"_

_"Yes."_

" _Then I'll come back tomorrow_!"

" _Tomorrow afternoon_." Artemis corrected.

" _After midday_." The bird nodded. " _Farewell, Artemis. Thank you_!" Foxfire took off, streaking across the sky back to the forest.

No longer requiring it, Artemis pulled the window shut, latching it firmly. He trudged back to the bed and re-tangled himself in the blankets. He had a Pokémon now, in a way. His mind returned to the starters once more, and one thing was clear. He would not be choosing Fennekin. Foxfire would provide the firepower needed when it evolved; there was no point in choosing the Fire Starter.

* * *

 

The next day came sooner than he expected. Rising with the sun despite his fragmented night, Artemis spent the morning thoroughly studying the map of Kalos he had received, focusing in particular on the town he found himself in and the next. They did not appear to be a great distance apart, merely about 10 miles according to the map's scale, and Artemis believed that even he could make it to this Santalune City before nightfall if he left for it as soon as his meeting with the other interns was over.

What worried him though was the forest that sat in between him and his destination. The guidebooks did not contain a map of the paths through it, merely described them as twisting but straight-forward. This did not comfort Artemis, being aware of how easily it would be to get turned around and lost, or waste several hours wandering in circles and come out the same way he came in. His only hope was that Foxfire knew the way to the other side of the forest, and could guide them out.

At noon, Nurse Joy came into his room with lunch (a sandwich composed of things Artemis didn't recognize and a lemonade), a small stack of clothes (complete with hiking boots), and a messenger bag.

"These are for you, since your own didn't make it through the fall." She explained, setting the change of clothes and bag on the bed and placing his food on the table beside him. She then gave him a yet another quick lookover, then pronounced him fit to leave in the next hour.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy, for everything. May I ask where I can get a map of my own?" Artemis asked, holding up to the map she had given him for her to see.

The nurse smiled. "You can keep that one, and the trainer's guide. I'm afraid I need the other books back though."

"Of course. I will return them when I leave. Thank you once again."

"It's no trouble." Nurse Joy gave him a final polite smile, then exited to let him get dressed in peace.

After quickly downing the light lunch, Artemis examined the options laid out before him. Nurse Joy had given him a pair of blue jeans, two T-shirts (one black and one white with a logo), a zip-up blue jacket with white accents, a pair of black boots with blue laces, and a magenta cap (most likely to prevent sunstroke). The messenger bag he had been given (black with blue accents) was very roomy; Artemis would never have thought it would be so spacious on the inside from the way it looked on the outside. He quickly placed his map and trainer book inside, then added in his dress pants and the white T-shirt. Loathe as he was to admit it, he would probably be more comfortable walking 10 miles in the blue jeans than he would his dress pants.

This left him slipping into the already worn jeans and the black T-shirt that nearly swallowed his form, pulling on the boots over his socks and the jacket over his shirt, securing the hat over his head, and slinging the messenger bag over his head and snuggly on his shoulder and against his hip. He felt slightly ridiculous dressed like this (he couldn't remember the last time he had worn a hat, if ever), but he didn't have any other options until he obtained cash (the trainer card would only buy him food and a room at a Pokémon Center), and it was best to fit in as best he could anyway. There was no point in drawing unnecessary attention to himself.

He gathered up the books he had to return and, after one last glance around to make sure he was not forgetting anything, exited his room for the first time since arriving.

Artemis found himself in a hallway lined with multi-colored doors. Some doors were colored green, others yellow, and still others red. The room he had just left was painted yellow, and Artemis wondered if there was a system here, or if there was just no taste involved in decorating the center. Following a conveniently placed exit sign above the only door colored blue, Artemis walked down a flight of stairs and out into a large open lobby.

There were not many people lingering inside, which was not surprising considering how small the town had seemed from the window above. The few people that were there were seated either at the plush benches that were positioned beneath the large windows flanking the double doors out, or at one of the tables scattered in between the doors and the reception desk at Artemis's right. Nurse Joy was currently the one managing the desk, scrawling something with a stylus onto a tablet embedded into the desk, so Artemis walked up to her and placed the books onto the desk.

She looked up and smiled, pulling the books towards her and placing them underneath the desk. "Thank you, Artemis. Are you leaving now?"

"Yes." Artemis nodded. "I'm meeting Professor Sycamore's other interns at the café across the way."

Nurse Joy nodded in return. "Well, you be safe, alright? I don't want you to be brought in here again." She smiled, and Artemis managed a close-lipped smile in return.

"I shall do my best." He turned on his heel and walked out the double doors and into the open air.

His boots tapped quietly against the brick as he crossed the path over to the café. It was an open air restaurant, with no indoor tables, just a small ordering window staffed with a slightly bored looking young woman who was paying more attention to her magazine than to any potential customer. Artemis didn't blame her; he was the only one here so far, and he would bet very little happened very often. To her credit, she did look up as Artemis took a seat at one of the larger tables, but seeing he was not going to order any time soon, she quickly went back to her reading.

Artemis sighed slightly as he looked around. He was a half-hour early, but he had hoped that one of the two parties he was meeting would have shown up early. Resigned to the fact he would probably have a long wait, he shucked his jacket (it was a tad too warm for it at midday) and his hat, sat his bag on the ground beside him, and pulled the trainer guide out from his bag, beginning to read again.

* * *

 

About 15 minutes had passed when he was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder.

"Um, excuse me?" A young female voice asked.

Artemis turned and looked up. Standing beside him were two girls, one with her hand still out and the other with an excited grin on her face.

The one who had tapped his arm was tall for her age, which Artemis judged to be around his own, and lacked any noticeable curves or muscles. She had long strawberry blond hair that stretched all the way down her back in neat full waves, and pale skin dotted with light freckles. She wore a dress with a black top half and red lower half, black socks that came up to her knees, and a pair of beat up black sneakers. A red hat was perched on her head (low with a wide rim), and white sunglasses were balanced on the rim of the hat. A large pink purse was tucked under her arm.

The other girl was significantly younger and shorter, maybe about 12 or so. Her skin was tan, maybe a light brown, and had no freckles to be seen. Her hair was a dark brown and done up in 4 ponytails, two of which came from the back and curled over the other two. She wore a pink shirt with a line of black bows down the front, very short jean shorts, heeled gladiator-style pink sandals, and a black and pink bracelet on one wrist. A matching pink purse with a black bow hung on her shoulder, looking far too small to contain anything of major importance.

"Hi, are you from the Pokémon Research Center?" The older girl smiled.

"I'm afraid not; I'm waiting for them as well. You're Serena and Shauna, correct?" Artemis slipped his book shut and back into his bag.

"Oh! Yes, I'm Serena, and this is Shauna." Serena gestured to the younger girl. "I'm sorry, but who are you? We were told that the third intern moved to a different region."

"Artemis Fowl. The professor offered the internship to me yesterday, and I accepted." Artemis said smoothly.

"It's nice to meet you, Arty!" Shauna grinned, ignoring Artemis's slight grimace at the pet name.

"It's Arte-"

"Where are you from? I've never seen you in Vaniville Town, and it's pretty much impossible to not know everyone there." Shauna continued right on over Artemis.

"I -"

But once more Artemis was interrupted, this time from a shout from down the street.

"Sorry! Sorry we're late!" Two boys were running up the steps from the lower half of town to the café, and they could not have been more mismatched. One of them was very short, very pale, and almost dangerously skinny. He looked to be maybe 15 or 16, and had thick hair styled into a bob and colored an alarming shade of orange, acting like a beacon as he ran to the café. It was impossible to miss him. His clothes were a bit more bland, consisting of a green and white polo shirt, gray pants, green shoes, and a green backpack thumping against his back. A strange device, almost like a cell phone or a walkie/talkie, hung around his neck on a lanyard.

The other boy, maybe 17 or 18, was rotund in shape, and Artemis marveled at the fact he was keeping up with the other boy (but thinking of Mulch, perhaps it wasn't so surprising). His black hair was very short, and what little he did have was pulled into a spiky ponytail on the top of his head. He wore a black T-shirt with an odd blue and white design on the front (it almost looked like an ice cream cone, Artemis thought, but with eyes and a mouth), orange shorts, black/yellow/white sneakers, and a watch on one of his wrists. A strap was slung over his chest and indicated a pouch or backpack of some sort hanging on his back.

The two boys finally made it to the table Artemis, Serena, and Shauna were gathered around, breath coming in quick gasps and forms slightly doubled over.

"Sorry - we're late." The smaller boy puffed out again. "I told Tierno we should have gotten here sooner - "

"It is fine; you're technically early." Artemis had pity on the small boy. "We were just earlier."

"I told you, Trevor. No need to sweat it." The large boy identified as Tierno clapped the boy called Trevor on the back.

"You already have, though." Serena smiled, indicating the beads of sweat that ran down the boys' faces.

"Ha." Trevor puffed out a slight laugh. "Well, I suppose introductions are in order, even if they aren't technically needed. I'm Trevor, from Dendemille Town."

"Tierno, also from Dendemille. Nice to meet you all!" The larger boy smiled.

"Hi! I'm Serena, though I suppose that you already know that."

"Shauna! So glad you guys are here!" Shauna grinned.

The four assembled looked at Artemis.

"Artemis Fowl, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Artemis bowed his head. "Now, would you all like to take a seat? It feels odd being the only one sitting."

"Oh, yeah, thank you." Trevor took the seat across from Artemis. Following suit, Tierno sat next to Trevor, Serena sat next to Artemis, and Shauna chose the seat at the end of the table.

"Well, I suppose we should get the most exciting part of the meeting done first." Trevor smiled, then after a second of rummaging through his pack, pulled out a blue cylinder with a silver glass lid. Resting inside the cylinder on velvet lining were 3 round balls. They were divided into two halves by a black band with a white button in the middle. The tops of the balls were colored red, while the bottom halves were colored white. There were symbols stamped into the velvet inlay in front of each ball; a raindrop. a blaze of fire, and a stylized leaf. Trevor pushed a button on the side of the canister, and the lid popped open with a near silent hiss.

"The starter Pokémon." Shauna said in an almost hushed whisper, bouncing in her seat with excitement shining in her eyes.

"Yep." Tierno grinned. "One for each of you. So who wants to go first?"

"What?" Serena asked in confusion. "Aren't they already assigned to us?"

"Nope, the choice is yours. There is no best choice; they are equally powerful, but your choice will affect the structure of your team. Of course, if there are any disagreements, we may have to flip a coin or something, but -" Trevor shrugged, "that doesn't happen very often."

"So, who's up first?" Tierno asked, gaze flickering over each of the new interns in turn. There was a sudden silence.

"Would you like to go first, Artemis?" Serena politely asked.

Artemis shook his head. "I am torn between two. I thought I would let you or Shauna have first pick."

A small smile flickered over Serena's mouth, and she turned to Shauna. "Well, Shauna, which one would like?"

"Ooohhh . . . " The small girl groaned. "They're all so good . . . " She rose slightly in his chair to look at the container, her hand hovering over each of the balls in turn as she examined each one, as if searching for a sign that there was one specifically for her among the bunch. Finally, her hand curled around the ball behind the water droplet. "I choose Froakie!" She cried, cradling the ball against her chest almost tenderly. Artemis was slightly surprised; he had pegged her for picking one of the more aesthetically pleasing Pokémon, like Fennekin or Chespin. Perhaps there was more to this girl than met the eye.

"Did that help your decision at all, Artemis?" Serena asked.

"It did. Do you mind?" Artemis held his hand out to the container.

"Not at all."

Artemis's hand immediately grabbed the ball behind the leaf marker, choosing Chespin.

"Then I shall have Fennekin." Serena picked up the last ball, examining it almost reverently.

Artemis turned the small ball around in his hands, marveling at the fact that this small object could apparently contain creatures large than a house, and now held his companion for however long he remained in this world.

"Now that that's settled, let's register them." Trevor pulled out 3 more objects out of his backpack, thin red stylized rectangles with thin lines running down the middle, and placed two of them on the table. The other one he held up for everyone to see.

"To claim a Pokémon after catching it, you have to use your Pokédex." He flicked his wrist, and the rectangle slid open, revealing an almost holographic screen. "Shauna, can I borrow Froakie to demonstrate?"

"Oh, sure." Shauna hesitantly slid the ball over to Trevor, who smiled and held it up.

"You first have to capture the Pokémon, but Tierno will show you how to do that soon. Let's just get to what you do once you've captured it. First, you hold down this button until it beeps." Trevor pointed, but did not press. "Say the word 'register' clearly, and hold it up to your Pokédex. The Pokédex will scan the ball and process what kind of Pokémon you've caught, its gender, the kind of moves it knows, its approximate level, whether it's close to evolving, all that fun stuff. The great part is that every time the Pokédex is within a 15ft radius of a Pokeball registered in its system, it will self update, so if your Pokémon learned a new move, the Pokédex will show that. It really is an invaluable training tool. Anyway, when it's done scanning, it will ask you to name the Pokémon. This is so you can call out just your specific Pokémon. When you send out a Pokémon from its ball, you say 'Go, whatever the name of the Pokémon is'. The Pokeball is coded to open when it hears those code words, and only those words. If we didn't have this feature, every time someone said 'Go, Weedle!', every Weedle in the area would be sent out, and that wouldn't be very good, would it?"

Trevor pauses for any laughs, but coughs nervously and moves on when the best he gets are polite smiles from the girls. "So, try to name your Pokémon something original, or at least not likely to be used very often. Shauna, you want to register your Froakie?"

"Oh, yes!" Shauna took the ball and the Pokédex and pressed down firmly on the button. Artemis heard a clear beep, and Shauna said, "Register." She held the Pokédex up to the ball. A thin blue fan of light lit up, and swept up and down the ball. Another beep, and Shauna delicately set the ball on the table. She chewed her lip thoughtfully, then with a flash of inspiration, typed in a name on the virtual keypad. She scanned for a typo, then satisfied, hit enter. The Pokeball let out three beeps in rapid succession. An encouraging look from Trevor had Shauna beaming, and she immediately hopped out of her chair and snatched the Pokeball from the table.

She held the ball out in front of her and very clearly said, "Go, Froabble!"

The top of the ball popped open slightly, and a blue light arced and slashed through the air, coming down onto the ground and pooling in an odd shape before flashing bright and clearing away to reveal the frog-like creature Artemis recognized from the guide as Froakie.

Artemis knew he must look like an idiot, sitting there with his eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. It was one thing to read about, but quite another to see with his own eyes. The Froakie was easily 5 or 6 times larger than the ball, but it had fit inside and come out like it was nothing. Quickly, Artemis composed his expression into a careful mix of interested but also bored, as if he had seen this happen a thousand times.

"Froabble!" Shauna cried, sinking down to her knees and scooping the little frog up. "You and I are going to be best friends, I just know it!" She hugged it tight, but the Froakie didn't seem bothered by the sudden restriction of air flow; it just croaked and snuggled into a more comfortable position against its new trainer's body.

Trevor smiled, then turned to Artemis and Serena. "Alright, your turns."

Artemis picked up the ball and one of the remaining Pokédexes. Extending the Pokédex to its full length, he held down the button on the ball. Hearing the beep, he enunciated, "Register."

The blue light fanned out of the Pokédex and scanned the ball, and soon a list of stats appeared on the screen, followed with a beep from the Pokeball. Artemis took that as his cue to place the ball down and read the information on the screen. Inside the ball was a male Chespin currently at Lv. 5. It knew the Normal move Growl and the Grass move Vine Whip, and was nowhere close to evolving anytime soon. Artemis tapped the screen, and the Pokédex prompted him to fill in a name.

Artemis felt slightly guilty about giving a name to a creature that may already have one of its own, but he could probably find a way to change it if he had to. He thought about the little Chespin and what it was destined to become, a hulking armored creature called Chesnaught. Thinking about the connotations his mind made, he typed in the name "Gwaine", then hit enter.

The Pokeball beeped three times, and the Pokédex cheerfully informed him that the registration was complete. He slid the Pokédex closed and into his pocket, then picked up the ball and backed away from the table. He held out the hand with the ball.

"Go, Gwaine!" The Pokeball's red half popped open, and a blue light shot out and landed on the ground, twisting and taking the form of the Chespin now christened Gwaine.

Artemis kneeled down in front of the poor confused Chespin. "Hello." He said, drawing Gwaine's attention to him. "My name is Artemis. It's nice to meet you."

Artemis brought up his magic so he could listen to his Pokémon's reply. " _Oh, hello, Artemis!"_ It squeaked.

"How do you feel about the name Gwaine?" Artemis made sure to not slip into the magical tongue, sure that that would be a dead giveaway that he was not what he seemed.

" _I like it_!" Gwaine thankfully said, nodding enthusiastically.

"Good." Artemis let the magic slip away. He would let Gwaine know of his abilities when they were alone. For now, it was better to not let on that he could understand the Pokémon.

Serena was greeting her own Pokémon, the foxlike Fire-type Fennekin. They suited each other, Artemis thought.

"Hey, Artemis!" Shauna called. Artemis looked at the short girl standing in front of him, her Froakie sitting at her feet.

"Yes?"

"Let's have a battle!"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Right now?" Already he was being challenged, mere seconds after he had received his first Pokémon?

"Of course, Arty! It's a good way to get experience and not have to worry about my Froabble getting hurt too awful." Shauna knelt and patted Froabble's head.

Artemis stood and looked at Gwaine. Shauna was correct that this would be a good way to get experience. The Pokémon Center was right there, and at such low levels, injury was unlikely.

"Do you want to have a battle, Gwaine?"

"Che! Che, Ches!" Gwaine cheered, waving its paws.

"Alright, then." Artemis took a couple steps back, and Shauna did the same. "Serena, will you referee?"

"Oh, sure!" Serena scooped her Fennekin up into her arms and out of the way.

"Um, are you sure you should be doing that here?" Trevor asked nervously, looking around.

"Hey!" Tierno called to the woman working the counter. She looked up. "Can we have a small battle here?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure, as long as you don't break anything." The woman looked at the two small Pokémon with interest.

"Great, thanks!" Tierno gave her a thumbs up. "You guys are good to go."

"Okay! Trainers, are you ready?" Serena shouted.

"Ready!" Shauna cried.

"Froak!" Froabble croaked in agreement.

"We're ready." Artemis smiled tightly.

"Ches!" Chespin clenched a paw in a tiny fist, a bit too cute to be taken seriously though.

"Then . . . " Serena began dramatically.

Artemis's mind ran through the moves Gwaine knew. He had type advantage here, and he was going to use it.

"BEGIN!" Serena shouted.

"Froabble!" Shauna wasted no time. "Use Pound!"

"Froakie!" Froabble cried, leaping into the air, tiny fists clenched.

"Gwaine, use Vine Whip!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Chespin!" From tiny slits in Gwaine's back, two vines shot out and up at the leaping Froakie. The vines coiled tight around the Water-type, then snapped with a loud crack!, throwing Froabble hard against the ground. The vines returned to Gwaine's body. "Ches!" He cheered.

"Froabble! Are you okay?" Shauna asked tensely. The little frog was shaky as it rose, but rose Froabble did. Shauna smiled. "Good! Now use Growl; lower that Attack power!"

"Grrr!" Froabble bared its teeth, and suddenly Gwaine didn't look quite so eager to battle the fierce Froakie.

"Come on, Gwaine, you can do this." Artemis found himself rooting for his little Pokémon. "You're not afraid of a little growl, are you? Now use Vine Whip one more time."

"Che, Che!" Gwaine jumped in place, a smile returning to his face. "Chespin!" The vines shot out one more, whipping out at Froabble. Froabble was knocked back to the ground, and this time, it did not get up.

"Froabble!" Shauna cried, hands going to her mouth.

"Froabble is unable to battle!" Serena judged. "Gwaine and Artemis win!"

"Pi?" Gwaine asked. He turned back to Artemis "Ches! Che Che!" He bounced in place.

Artemis knelt and rubbed Gwaine's head. "Yes, we won. Congratulations, Gwaine."

"Chespin!" Gwaine looked very satisfied with himself.

Shauna fell to her knees and gently picked up her fallen Pokémon. "You did well, Froabble." She whispered. "Trevor," she raised her voice, "how do you return a Pokémon to their Pokéball?"

Trevor came over and squatted beside Shauna. "Just hold out the ball, say the name of your Pokémon, and return. Don't worry. Inside a Pokéball, Froabble will recover completely within an hour."

Shauna smiled sadly. "Thank you, Trevor." She held out her Pokéball. "Froabble, return." The lid of the ball cracked open, and a ray of red light shot out, touching then engulfing the fainted Froabble before pulling back into the ball and taking Froabble with it. Shauna stared at the ball for a few seconds, then sighed and rose back to her feet. She walked over to Artemis and Gwaine and gave them a grin.

"Good job, Arty. You and Gwaine are going to be a great team; I just know it!" She dug around in her pocket, then pulled out a couple slips of paper. "Here, you earned it."

Artemis frowned at the gesture. "Shauna, why are you giving me money?"

"That's what you do when you lose a battle." Shauna explained, a surprised tone in her voice. "The loser pays the winner a certain amount depending on the battle."

" . . . I was unaware of that." Artemis admitted. He knew that monetary rewards were common in gym battles and League battles, but didn't remember anything about small battles being fought with money on the line.

"Here, take it." Shauna grabbed his wrist and, before he could protest, slapped the bills into his hand.

He almost declined her offer, hesitant to take a little girl's money, but something stopped him. He really did need physical currency, and if he lost a battle without a way to pay the victor, things could get messy. Shauna also seemed so insistent on giving the cash to him.

He sighed. "Alright, I shall accept." He slid the cash into his pocket, vowing to buy a wallet as soon as possible.

"Well," Trevor broke in, "now that that's settled, there are a couple more things we need to take care of before we can show you how to catch Pokémon and let you go. Tierno?"

"Way ahead of you." The large boy was pulling three belts out of his backpack. They were all plain black, and had small pouches with snap straps positioned so that they would hang on the hips of the wearer. "Pokéball belts! One for each of you."

"It's really inconvenient to have to fumble around in your bag for a Pokéball when you're in battle, and not having a secure place to put them increases the chance the Pokéball holding your Pokémon could become lost." Trevor began to explain.

"So the Pokéball company made these. You can hold up to six Pokéballs at a time, which is the maximum number of Pokémon allowed in a fight." Tierno handed each of them one of the belts. "Some people get the pockets put on their backpack strap, but everyone usually starts out with the belt."

Artemis slipped the belt onto his hips, tightening so it wouldn't fall off, then stuck Gwaine's Pokéball into the first pouch on his right side, snapping the strap meant to secure the ball shut. He could see how this would be useful, especially after building up a team that were all contained in similar-looking Pokéballs. There was also a rectangular pouch that Artemis assumed was for his Pokédex, and he transferred the Pokédex from his pocket to the pouch, securing it tightly.

A tugging on his jeans caught his attention. He looked down at Gwaine. "Yes?"

Gwaine held his arms up. "Pi! Pi!"

"Do you want up?"

"Che!"

Artemis grabbed under Gwaine's arms and pulled him up with a grunt. The Chespin was heavier than he had been expecting.

Gwaine immediately scrabbled for purchase against Artemis's stomach, and upon finding it, slipped through Artemis's grip and latched onto his shoulder.

"Wha-" But Gwaine had already climbed up and over Artemis's shoulder onto his back, gripping his shoulder tightly with his front paws and clutching and propping himself up with his feet against Artemis's back.

"Are you comfortable there?" Artemis huffed, slightly annoyed, doing his best to regain his balance from the sudden shift in weight without falling to the ground.

"Pi." Gwaine hummed contently.

Artemis barely kept from rolling his eyes at the creature. "Fine." He puffed.

Trevor was doing his best to hide a grin as he approached (which was not well at all). "Your trainer card." He handed Artemis a thick laminated card not unlike a driver's license. It had the horrible picture of him taken last night in the upper right hand corner, with his physical description underneath and what little information he had given them below that. On the left hand side were 8 small white boxes arranged in two columns of four. On the back was a barcode and a long string of numbers. Artemis could feel Gwaine lean his head over to examine it.

"The boxes are for your gym badges." Trevor explained to him, Tierno doing the same with the girls. "Every time you win a gym battle, you'll get a badge to place wherever you want, and a sticker to put on your card. The card can be used to obtain medical care, a meal, and a room at any Pokémon Center in the region. It can't buy Pokéballs or Potions or any travel items like that, though." Trevor warned.

"Thank you." Artemis tucked the card into the pocket on his belt that held his Pokédex.

"You may not want to put it there; it slides out too easy. A small zip-up pocket in your bag or a wallet would be better." Artemis nodded and temporarily moved the card to his pocket.

"I shall do that. Will the Pokédex be okay?"

"Yeah, it should be fine as long as you keep the strap in place."

"Right then. Anything else I need to know?"

Trevor tilted his head thoughtfully. "Let's see. You have your Pokémon, you know how to register Pokémon, the Pokédex is self-explanatory so I don't think I need to walk you through that, you have your belt and card; I think the only thing left to do is take you all out and show you how to catch a Pokémon." Trevor raised his voice for the last sentence, and Serena and Shauna looked over in excitement.

"Really?" Shauna's eyes shone with excitement.

"Really." Trevor nodded. "Tierno, how about you do that and explain the rules of catching, and I call the professor and tell him we'll be heading back soon?"

"Sounds like a plan." Tierno smiled. "Gather your things, guys."

Serena and Shauna grabbed their purses from the table, and Artemis stuffed his jacket and hat (and slipped his card into a small zip pocket) into his bag and pulled in on over his shoulders, being careful to avoid dislodging Gwaine.

Tierno led them through the town, past a couple of shops (Artemis made a note to look at them later for a wallet), and over the bridge to a wide dirt road (Tierno called it Route 2) covered with enormous clumps of grass that came up to above Artemis's knees. Here, Tierno stopped and turned around.

"The first thing you should know is that Pokémon love to hide in tall grass. It's next to impossible to walk through a field of the stuff, or a road covered in it, without stumbling upon a Pokémon or two, and usually that stumbling is very literal." Tierno began to lecture. "You'll run into a Pokémon very often, and that doesn't make them very happy. More likely than not, the Pokémon will attack. You can of course run, but sometimes it's impossible to get away. In that case, you'll have to fight. Let's assume that while you're doing this, you want to catch it, or you meet a Pokémon you want to catch. In that case, you take your Pokéball-" Tierno pulled out a Pokéball to demonstrate, "- and hold down the button like you do when registering. Instead of saying register, though, say capture. This tells the ball you want to capture the next Pokémon it comes within a foot of. You then throw the ball at the Pokémon and if you're lucky and the Pokémon wants to come with you, you'll capture it. If you're not and it's not content to go with you, it'll break free, and you may have to try again or leave empty handed."

"There are several different types of Pokéballs of varying strength and uses. Some Balls are best for creatures in caves, some work best on Water-types, etc. Of the all-purpose kind, though, there are 4. The basic one, the one your starters came in, are the weakest, cheapest, and the most common. The step up is a Great Ball, which is a bit stronger and a bit more expensive, and after that are Ultra Balls, which are way more expensive than Pokéballs, but also a lot more effective. The final one is extremely rare and expensive, called a Master Ball. It's said to be able to catch any wild Pokémon in existence. I've never seen one myself, but I know Professor Sycamore had one a while back. But you don't need to think about that. Today, you're getting regular Pokéballs."

Tierno reached into his backpack and pulled out three plastic bags, each holding five (presumably empty) Pokéballs. He handed one to each new trainer, and Artemis put his away in his bag.

"Now, there is one major rule to remember about catching Pokémon. The limit is one per route per day. That means you can only catch one Pokémon on a route a day. You can catch another one on the same route the next day, or move onto another route and catch another Pokémon, but you can't catch two Pokémon on the same route in the same day. Got it?" Nods all around.

"Anyway, any questions?" There were none.

"Okay, then. I guess that's it. Your job from this day on is, whenever you see a Pokémon in the wild, to scan it with your Pokédex for the Center's records. You are allowed and encouraged to take the Gym Challenge, as it will help you travel all over the region and collect more data. Follow the one per route per day rule, or your license will be revoked. And that's that! You're free to go!"


	3. The Journey Begins

The first thing Artemis did was turn around. He couldn't just set off; he had too many things to do in the town first. He needed to gather some supplies (which he could now do thanks to the money Shauna had given him) and wait for Foxfire to come back. Wandering into the forest without another thought was stupid.

He wasn't the only one to turn back; In fact, no one went forward. Serena and Shauna said they wanted to say goodbye to their parents and show them their new Pokémon before leaving, and Tierno went back to meet with Trevor. So it was as a congregation that the group turned away from the edge of Route 2 and returned to Aquacourde Town, or Vaniville Town in Shauna and Serena's case.

Artemis ducked away from them and into one of the two shops the moment he could. A bell rung as he entered, and the shopkeeper looked curiously when he came in, particularly at Gwaine, still perched on his shoulder and not showing any signs of wanting to get off any time soon, but said nothing. It was with an experienced gaze that Artemis gazed over the stores wares, and its prices in particular. The store mainly stocked Pokéballs at a slightly cheaper price than the local Pokémon Center (or so the signs boasted), but also carried items like berries (several of which Artemis recognized from his dinner last night), small bottles of antidotes for Pokémon status conditions, various trainer items like badge cases, backpacks, and maps, and other odds and ends.

Digging through a clearance bin in the back, Artemis pulled out a dust-coated wallet with a tag covered in markdown stickers. A quick comparison of the price and the bills in his pocket assured him that he would be able to buy it and afford food from the grocery next door. The currency seemed to not be dissimilar to the Japanese yen, given that the wallet cost, even at an extreme discount, 250 dollars (or whatever the currency was called), exactly half of the money Shauna had rewarded him with.

Artemis approached the shopkeeper and paid the man for the wallet (during this transaction, he learned that the bills were called _Lien*_ ), immediately feeling far more secure storing the precious bills he had in a wallet rather than loose in his pocket. He also placed his trainer card in one of the clear outside pockets, making it convenient to simply show to anyone who might need to see ID rather than digging through his bag and praying it hadn't fallen out somewhere.

Next, he crossed the road to the small grocery shop, once again attracting odd gazes from the lady behind the counter and the two people pursing the shelves. Artemis recalled what Shauna had said about it being next to impossible to not know everyone in the small town of Vaniville. Artemis couldn't imagine Vaniville being very much smaller than Aquacorde, so the same rule must apply here. Newcomers must be a rarity, especially for an out of the way town that had no real reason to attract tourists. People had definitely seen him fall, he did remember that much, and with him appearing in the town soon after, it would not take a genius to connect the dots (Artemis wondered why Serena and Shauna hadn't; had they simply not seen it and weren't told about it?)

While Artemis was used to staring, it would be a lie to say that it didn't become a tad bit unsettling when it was never-ending. Under the gaze of the occupants of the store, Artemis did not dally in picking out 150 lien worth of pull-tab cans of food, boxed granola bars (he had no idea what Miltank milk, canned Magikarp, or Ditto eggs were, but nutritional labels were apparently something else that was interdimensional), along with some plastic silverware and a few bottles of water, all of which was shoved in a plastic bag and tucked into his bag. If something went wrong and Artemis was unable to reach Santalune or was unable to obtain food from the Pokémon Center, he wouldn't have to starve or die of thirst.

Upon leaving the small grocery, Gwaine let out a puff of relief.

"You did not enjoy being stared at either, did you?" Artemis murmured to the little Pokémon.

"Che!" Gwaine shook his head fervently. "Pi pi pi!"

Artemis absently stroked Gwaine's head. "No, I suppose you didn't." Hopefully when they got to Santalune no one would look twice at them; with a gym in the town, the first gym on the circuit, in fact, people must come and go all the time.

Now the only thing left to do was wait for Foxfire. Artemis turned his head up to the clouds and scanned the sky. There was not yet any sign of the little bird, so Artemis began walking back to the bridge. There were fewer people there, and it should be easier for Foxfire to spot them.

Artemis also thought that now, when there were no people around at the center of the bridge and sound would not carry, was a good time to tell Gwaine of his abilities.

"Gwaine," Artemis began to gather his magic, "there's something I must tell you."

" _What_?" The little starter chirped.

" _I can speak to Pokémon_." Artemis whispered in the Pokémon tongue.

Gwaine's eyes widened dramatically. " _You can understand me? No one at the lab or the warm place could. Can a lot of people do that_?"

'The lab' was obviously the research facility in Lumiose, but Artemis wondered what the warm place was. "I don't know." Artemis slipped back into the French language (the fact that a language from his own world was used here was incredibly fascinating to Artemis, and made him wonder about the implications that fact held). "I don't want anyone to know I can, though, so I will not speak your language most of the time. I also have to make a conscious effort to understand you, so do not fret if I do not understand you immediately. If it is important, do not let up and I will make the effort so you can tell me. Do you understand?"

Gwaine screwed his face up. " _I think so_." He said slowly.

"Good." Artemis scanned the horizon once more. He still did not see any Fletchlings flying towards him, and a wisp of annoyance flickered inside him. Time was ticking by every second he wasted standing here and if he did not start moving soon, it was unlikely he would reach Santalune before sunset. He did not particularly feel up to bunking down in the woods tonight.

" _Why are we waiting here_?" Gwaine asked, following his eyes and seeing nothing of interest.

"We are waiting for the third member of our party to appear, a Fletchling called Foxfire. I befriended it last night and promised that it could join us. It said it would meet me after midday, but -" Artemis glanced up at the sun, "- it's past that and there is not yet any sign of it."

" _That's bad_?"

"I was hoping to reach the next town before nightfall; if we don't leave soon, that won't happen."

" _Oh_."

Artemis sighed. "Well, I suppose we could at least start walking towards the forest. Surely Foxfire will spot us on the path."

" _Yes, let's do that_!" Gwaine cried, eager to be on the road at last.

" _Wait_!" A voice called from behind the pair.

Artemis turned just in time to be hit across the face by something small and feathery. "Oof!" He puffed out, stumbling backwards. It was only thanks to the brick railing that he didn't go tumbling off the bridge and into the water.

" _Oh, my apologies_." The voice said sheepishly. Rubbing his cheek, Artemis reoriented himself to see Foxfire perched on the bridge walls. " _I didn't mean to run into you; I just didn't want you to leave without me_."

"I thought you would be coming from the forest." Artemis explained. _"_ It seemed likely we would meet you on the path if we left now."

" _I went to the window you were at, where I thought you would still be, but you weren't there_." Foxfire huffed. " _So I flew higher and finally saw you over here_."

" _Well, we're all here now. Does it matter_?" Gwaine broke in.

"No, it does not. Thank you, Gwaine." Artemis turned to Foxfire. "Foxfire, this is Gwaine. Gwaine, Foxfire."

 _"Nice to meet you_!" Gwaine said cheerfully.

" _Pleasure_." Foxfire said hastily.

"Foxfire, are you certain you wish to come along?" Artemis asked, rustling through his backpack with one hand for the bag Tierno had given him.

" _Yes_!" Foxfire chirped loudly. " _You promised I could_!"

"I know. I am just making sure." Artemis pulled out a Pokéball. "Gwaine, you may want to back away."

" _Okay, Artemis_!" Gwaine hopped off of Artemis's back, leapt down onto the bridge railing, which was plenty wide enough for the Chespin to safely stand on, and backed away a few feet.

Artemis held down the button on the Pokéball until it beeped. "Capture." He enunciated, then held the ball up to Foxfire. He did not throw it, as Tierno had suggested; Artemis had no illusions about his athletic ability and knew any toss by him would miss Foxfire by a mile and land the Pokéball in the water below.

The Pokéball sprang open and a fan of light shone out. The light reached out to Foxfire and enveloped it, before drawing back into the ball and, with a snap and a brilliant flash of light, the Pokéball closed. It shook once, twice, three times in Artemis's palm before letting out a small _snick_ and resting still.

" _Wow_." Gwaine ran up to Artemis and leapt back onto his back, very nearly pitching Artemis forward into the water.

"Give me some warning before you do that again, okay Gwaine?" Artemis snapped softly, only his free hand flying out and steadying himself against the rail keeping him from falling.

" _Oops_." Gwaine not quite managed to keep from giggling. " _Sorry_." He didn't sound sorry at all.

Artemis restricted himself to a sigh and pulled out his Pokédex. "Register." A blue fan of light, and Foxfire's information was recorded in his Dex. Foxfire was a Level 3 Fletchling and, he discovered, female. She knew the Normal moves Growl and Tackle and, like Gwaine, was a long way from evolving. Artemis x-ed out the page and gladly inputted "Foxfire" in the box prompting a name.

"Go, Foxfire."

The Pokéball clicked open and released Foxfire, who immediately turned to Artemis. " _Did it work_?" She chirped.

"It worked." Artemis confirmed.

" _Yes!_ " Foxfire cheered. " _I have been waiting for this for so long; I can't believe it's actually happened_."

"Believe it." Artemis said dryly. "Now, would you like to rest in the Pokéball, or remain out with Gwaine and me?"

In answer, Foxfire flitted up to Artemis's free shoulder and made herself comfortable. Artemis sighed, but supposed he couldn't complain; in comparison to Gwaine, Foxfire was actually quite light. He barely noticed her weight. Gwaine, on the other hand, was threatening to rip his arm off. If the Pokémon wasn't propping himself up against Artemis's back, Artemis would have already had to drop him.

Artemis slowly rolled his shoulders, adjusting them the best he could to the weight, and finally started down the dirt road to Santalune.

It was long and boring to say the least. The only things of interest along the path were his Pokémon, quite happy to chatter away to someone that could understand them, but even that grew old after the first mile had passed. There was only so much that Gwaine and Foxfire could say about their respective homes before that topic ran dry of new information. Artemis, in turn, described his friends and family back home, but this too did not last long as a distraction. The sun overhead beat down on the trio as they walked, and less than a mile into the trek Artemis pulled out the cap Nurse Joy had given him and tugged it onto his head. Heat stroke was not something he wanted to deal with, especially on a path that he had yet to see any other human being on.

The only interesting thing to happen before he reached the forest was his first wild Pokémon encounter. Artemis would have liked to have said the Pokémon had just come out of nowhere, looking for a fight from the trainer it had found, but that would have been a lie. While traipsing through the annoying tall grass that covered this section of the path, Artemis quite literally stumbled over a poor little Pidgey.

Picking himself off the ground after the spectacular fall that Artemis was glad no one else had witnessed and making sure none of his Pokémon had been hurt, Artemis turned to the angry bird furiously squawking at him. He could not understand the bird's words, having lost his grip on his magic with the fall, but he knew they were threatening words. Quickly, Artemis inventoried the state of things. Gwaine was on the ground where he had tumbled off of Artemis's shoulder, and Foxfire was fluttering up the air by Artemis's head. The Pokémon he had angered was, according to the guide he had read, a Normal/Flying-type, which put Gwaine at a distinct disadvantage. He could try to run, but odds were that the Pidgey was faster than he was.

"Gwaine, get back!" Artemis called. "Foxfire, use Tackle!"

Gwaine squeaked a reply and ran back to Artemis. The Pidgey began to follow, but was distracted by Foxfire when she shot from the sky and hit the Pidgey head-on. The Pidgey shrieked in pain and annoyance and immediately rammed back into Foxfire, unable to get out of the way in time.

"Foxfire, are you alright?" Artemis called up his magic.

" _Fine_." She sounded a bit dazed, but certainly capable of going forward.

"Alright then, use Tackle one more time!"

The two birds collided in a flash of feathers, the dirt of the path kicked up in the wing beats and obscuring the skirmish. Echoing screeches put unpleasant images into Artemis's head, and he wondered if he should have just taken his chances and ran. The dust settled, though, and Foxfire squawked victoriously, a barely conscious Pidgey stumbling back into the brush.

"Good job, Foxfire." Artemis knelt next to the small bird.

Gwaine scampered up to her as well. " _You were amazing_!" He cheered.

" _Thanks_." Foxfire seemed to smile, but her breath was labored, and her wings drooped with exhaustion.

"You should rest." Artemis said. He fiddled with the straps on his belt and pulled out Foxfire's Pokéball. "I was told that the Pokéball speeds up recover."

" _I'm fine_." Foxfire tried to pull a brave face. " _I can stay out and fight_."

"Just for a half hour or so? It would make me feel better about sending you into battle again if you took time to heal." Artemis bargained.

The little bird sighed. " _Alright, but only to make you feel better_."

Artemis held out the Pokéball. "Return, Foxfire." The now familiar beam of light shot out of the opened Pokéball and enveloped Foxfire, pulling her back into the Pokéball with a click of the lid closed.

Trevor had said it took about an hour for a fainted Pokémon to recover completely inside a Pokéball. Half an hour should be plenty of time for Foxfire to return to full strength. Artemis would not overexert Foxfire and let her get hurt.

"Come on, Gwaine," Artemis said as he helped the Grass-type back onto his back and replaced Foxfire's Pokéball securely on his belt, "let's press on."

* * *

They were lucky enough to avoid any other encounters with wild Pokémon, taking extra care to scan ahead and give any spotted Pokémon a wide berth. Upon seeing them from a distance, the Pokémon barely gave them a second glance, and the lack of battles allowed Artemis to cover ground at an acceptable rate, judging from the clock in the upper right corner of his Pokédex.

It wasn't until they reached the forest that had stood so prominently on the map that Artemis and Gwaine saw any other life beyond Pidgeys and Bunnelbys. Standing on the edge of the path just in front of the tall maples was a small boy, probably around 8 or 9 years of age. At his feet was a raccoon-like Pokémon that Artemis had caught glimpses of in the grass earlier. According to the guide he had read back at the Center, it was called a Zigzagoon, and was a Normal-type.

"Zag, use Tackle!" The small boy shouted, pointing to a single clump of grass that grew in the center of the road.

The tiny little mammal barked out a reply, and, moving in a back-and-forth zig-zag, pounced on the patch of grass, stomping the plants flat.

"Good job!" Artemis heard the boy say as Artemis approached. "We'll be ready to challenge the gym in no time." The Zigzagoon squeaked a happy little affirmative. Hearing the sound of Artemis's boots against the dirt path, the boy looked up from his Pokémon and locked green eyes with Artemis's blue.

"Hey, mister! You're a trainer, right?" He called.

Artemis's eyes flickered to the Chespin clinging to his shoulder. "Obviously." He replied shortly.

The boy was not deterred by Artemis's tone. "Great! We locked eyes, so that means we have to battle!"

Artemis doubted very highly that there was much the boy could do to stop him if he were to breeze right on past, but he was supposed to be trying to stay low and blend in with the inhabitants of this world. Artemis scanned the boy from sneakers to hat. He didn't have a Pokéball belt on him, just one Pokéball clutched tightly in his hand, most likely belonging to the Zigzagoon dancing around the boy's ankles. If he remembered the Typing chart from the training guide correctly, Normal types had no advantages over any type, and were only weak to Fighting types. He didn't want to send Foxfire into 2 fights in a row, so Gwaine it was.

"Are you ready, Gwaine?"

" _Ready_!" Gwaine jumped to the ground and scurried in front of Artemis.

"Zag, let's do this!"

" _Alright, Austin_!" Artemis heard the little mammal squeak as it zagged into position.

The two Pokémon exchanged Growls, trying to be as intimidating as possible.

Silence. Then . . .

"Tackle!"

"Vine Whip!"

The two attacks met in midair; Gwaine's vines launched at the Zigzagoon, which twisted in midair. The vines grazed the sides of the small Pokémon, but it was not enough to deflect the Zigzagoon from its path completely. Its front paws barreled into Gwaine's chest, throwing the Chespin back and onto the ground. Gwaine growled at the small mammal on its chest and bucked it off as he scrambled back onto his feet, his vines rapidly returning to his side.

"Come back to me, Zag!" The boy called. The Zigzagoon turned tail and began to run back to its trainer.

Artemis saw the opportunity. "Gwaine, use Vine Whip to trip it and attack!"

Gwaine grinned. " _Got it_!" Gwaine sent one vine out, then the next.

"Jump and dodge!" The trainer yelled. The first vine, the tiny ball of fuzz managed to jump over, but with its maneuverability severely limited in the air, it couldn't avoid the second vine as it whipped through the air and slammed the Zigzagoon back onto the dirt path below.

The Zigzagoon struggled to return to its feet, but ultimately collapsed back to the ground, eyes sliding closed and its body going still.

"Aw." The boy knelt beside his Pokémon. "You did great, Zag." He held out his Pokéball. "Zag, return." The Zigzagoon was sucked into the Pokeball.

"You're pretty strong, mister." The boy commented, digging his hand in his short pocket and pulling out a fistful of money. "Are you gonna challenge the gym? I bet you could beat Viola, no problem."

Artemis slipped the money (a bit over 100 lien) into his wallet. "Perhaps." He mused vaguely. He hadn't actually thought about taking up the "gym challenge" that seemed to be the ultimate goal of trainers. It was one of the weirder systems of government Artemis had encountered, with community leaders being battled for badges that could be used to battle the 5 leaders of the region as a whole, and beating them all gained you the title of ruler yourself. This seemed like a very easily exploited way of choosing government officials, as well as a very chaotic one.

Badges weren't only about bureaucracy or political power, though. Among trainers, badges were a display of strength. The more badges, the more gyms/powerful trainers you had conquered, and therefore the stronger you were. Many traveled and collected the badges without ever laying a foot on Victory Road according to a poll in the handbook, just to have the right to brag about beating every gym in the region. As a trainer, no one would take you seriously without at least one or two badges.

Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. He would have to decide when he got to Santalune and was further able to obtain information and process his situation.

"Come on, Gwaine." Artemis held an arm and helped Gwaine scramble back up onto Artemis's shoulder.

"Well, good luck!" The boy grinned before tearing off the direction Artemis had come from. Heading for the Pokémon Center for his fallen friend, or back home, maybe. It didn't matter.

"Are you alright?" Artemis asked Gwaine as he fumbled for one of the water bottles he had bought at the store. "That was quite a hit."

" _I'm great_!" Gwaine crowed, accepting a sip from the bottle as Artemis tipped it into his mouth. " _I won my first battle_!"

"That wasn't your first battle. You fought Shauna's Froakie just a couple hours ago." Artemis pointed out.

" _Yeah, but that doesn't really count_." Gwaine dismissed. " _This one was with an actual Trainer out on our journey_."

Artemis was pretty sure Shauna fitted that criteria, but he let it drop.

He flicked the snap on Foxfire's Pokeball pouch off and pulled out Foxfire's ball. "Go, Foxfire."

Foxfire materialized on the dirt path. " _Finally_." She chirped, stretching her wings. " _I thought you'd never let me out_."

"You're aware the passage of time in there?" Artemis asked, frowning.

Foxfire cocked her head, thinking about it. " _Not exactly_." She hedged before flying up to Artemis's shoulder. " _It's kind of a blur, to be honest. It doesn't feel like longer than a couple of minutes, but at the same time, I know that the sun fell half a stage since I went inside. I could sort of hear what was going on outside, but like it was going by at extreme speed. Does that make sense_?"

Artemis pondered on it. "I think so." He said slowly. "Time sped up for you inside the ball, but you still knew what was happening on the outside." And wasn't that interesting? Containment of things bigger than the ball, manipulation of time? What on earth were these Pokéballs and how the D'Arvit were they made? He had six of them, given to him like they were nothing special. The technology of this world was incredible - almost terrifyingly so. Artemis fervently hoped that Santalune had a library or some kind of place where he could learn more about this world.

" _That sounds right_." Foxfire nodded.

"Do you like it in there?" He questioned.

Foxfire considered the question. " _I do not dislike it_." She finally answered. " _It did not feel like long, so I can't say it was long and boring. I wouldn't want to be in there forever,_ _though_."

"Gwaine?"

The Chespin shrugged. " _I don't really care. I only went in to sleep_." He snuggled into the side of Artemis's neck. " _But I like it out here better_."

"Then I'll only put you in if you get hurt or if you want to." Artemis vowed.

" _Thank you_." Two voices spoke.

"Now Foxfire, you know your way around the forest, correct?" Artemis craned his neck to look at the rising silhouettes of the massive oaks.

" _Most of it_." Foxfire said. " _I didn't go over to the other side very much. The others that live there don't like me very much_."

"Hmm. Well, any help to make sure we don't get hopelessly lost would be appreciated."

"Got it."

Artemis stepped forward on the path between two particularly old oak trees that flanked the opening like guards. Once he passed under their arms, it was almost like stepping into another world. It was quite a bit darker in here, the only light the few rays that had filtered down through the leaves that canopied the forest roof. Artemis could still see, but the sudden change in lighting had him blinking in shock a few seconds.

The trees were clustered together in small groups, grass and brush growing around their bases and leaving small clearings and paths running around them. Just from his spot at the beginning of the trail, Artemis could see three different directions he could go without leaving the path. Rustling sounds of shifting leaves and branches filled the air, the occasional cries of Pokémon reverberating between the tree trunks. Right in front of him, nailed against a tree in the center of the opening pathways, was a small signpost. White-painted words welcomed him to the Santalune Forest, and cautioned him to be on the lookout for litter that could pose a potential threat to the Pokémon of the forest.

 _Straightforward?_ Artemis scoffed in his head. _Think again._

"Foxfire -" He began to ask.

"ARTEMIS!" A shout from behind him drowned out his trailed off words. Artemis spun in place to see a pink streak racing towards him. Shauna was running awkwardly in her heeled sandels, waving her arms frantically to get his attention as she approached. A new large pink bag thumped against the back of her legs. "Wa-wait up!" She panted, sputtering to a stop and bending over her knees, breathing hard.

"Shauna?"

"I - I saw you up ahead and -" _pant, pant,_ "-I wanted to walk with you." She let out one more exaggerated breath from her lungs, then stood up straight, stretching her arms and legs. Her eyes lit upon Foxfire, perched on his shoulder. "Ooh, did you already catch a Pokémon?"

"Oh, yes." Artemis reluctantly let his magic trickle away. "This is Foxfire. Foxfire, this is Shauna."

Foxfire twittered a greeting to the younger girl.

"Wow," Shauna murmured, peering in closely. Artemis automatically took a step back. "He's adorable!"

"She." Artemis corrected.

"She, sorry." Shauna nodded seriously. "I only have Froabble, still. Pidgeys and Zigzagoons are nice, but I really want something more unique! Something I don't see everyday."

"Perhaps you'll find one you like in the forest." Artemis said, beginning to walk away.

"I hope so!" Shauna enthused, skipping alongside him. "I heard that there are Pikachus and Kakunas and even Panpours and Pansages and Pansears in this forest! Ooh, there are so many awesome Pokémon to choose from!"

Artemis sighed softly, realizing he probably wasn't going to be able to shake off the small girl any time soon. He resigned himself to listening to her babble; but if he could listen to his little brothers go on for hours, surely he could do this. And maybe he would learn something new?

"Pan-what?" He inquired politely as he observed the paths and chose the one that looked the most frequently used. Foxfire would probably warn him if he chose wrongly.

"Oh, Panpour, Pansage, and Pansear. They're Pokémon that all kinda look alike but are each a different type. Water, Fire, and Grass, to be specific."

"Then I would recommend either the Fire or the Grass type. You already a Water type."

"True!" She chirped. "You're pretty smart, Arty." Shauna giggled at the almost rhymes. Artemis winced.

"Merely observant. By the way, where is your Froakie? Is he still injured?" A small knot of guilt began to form in his gut. The Pokémon should have recovered by now.

"Oh, no!" Shauna hurried. "I let him out to show my Ma and Gran and he was awake, but he was still kinda groggy so I put him back in and it was _sooo_ hot on the way here that I thought he might get sick or something if I let him out."

"Well, it's cooler now."

Shauna's face lit up. "You're right!" She fumbled for the Pokeball hanging off her waist. "Go, Froabble!"

The small frog popped out of the ball. A watery-sounding croak bellowed from its throat.

"Hello, Froabble!" Shauna cheered. "Sorry I kept you inside so long. I just wanted to make sure you healed up alright." She scooped the Pokémon up into her arms. Froabble proceeded to wiggle out of her grip and climb to the top of her head, settling between her ponytails and letting out a content rumble.

 _What is it with Pokémon and climbing on their owners?_ Artemis wondered as Shauna giggled, seemingly unaffected by the weight added to her head.

The Froakie looked around from his new vantage point and caught sight of Artemis - more accurately, he spotted Gwaine riding on Artemis's shoulder. "Fro, Froakie." He croaked.

"Chespin!" Gwaine waved frantically with one free paw. "Che!"

"Froakie."

The two Pokémon exchanged noises from their separate trainers as the two walked through the forest, carrying on their own conversation while the humans navigated the forest's rough patches (with a little subtle guidance from Foxfire).

Shauna found the whole thing amusing. "Aw, they're already friends!" She cooed. "I wish I could understand what they were saying, though. How cool would that be, Arty, to talk to Pokémon?"

Gwaine actually paused in his conversation with Froabble to smirk at Artemis when Shauna said this, nudging Artemis slightly with his paw in a distinctly human gesture. Artemis suppressed the urge to glare at the Grass-type. Shauna wasn't completely stupid.

"I suppose it would." He simply answered. Thankfully, Shauna didn't seem to notice anything odd about Gwaine's actions.

"Yeah . . ." She sighed wistfully.

 _Clank!_ Artemis's foot knocked against something hiding in the grass, kicking it forward out on to the path.

Quick as a whip, Shauna dipped down and scooped the object up. "Score!" She grinned, holding the object out for Artemis to see. It was a small gray squirt bottle colored with purple accents. Shauna shook it in her hand and it made a slight sloshing noise, clearly almost completely full. "I can't believe that someone would just toss this!"

"What is that?" Artemis asked.

"It's a Potion." Shauna looked surprised he didn't recognize it on sight. "If you give it to your Pokémon, it repairs Aura by 20%. At least, this one does. Some heal it by 50%, by 75%, some by 100% even, and there's this one kind called a Full Restore that will fully heal a Pokémon's Aura and even cure status problems. But they're super expensive."

That didn't really help. He remembered reading about Potions, but they had just been described like medicine that was allowed to be used during battles. What on earth was Aura? "Aura?"

Shauna stared at him. "Arty, how can you not know what Aura is?"

Time for a little acting. Artemis turned his head away, looking forlornly at his boots. "I have amnesia, Shauna." Artemis said softly. "I don't remember anything beyond my name. Not this region, not the Pokémon," he let his voice take on a tone of sorrow, "not even my home or my family. That's why the professor offered me this, so I can try to find my way back."

"Chespin?" Gwaine questioned, looking at Artemis confused. Clearly the Pokémon remembered his trainer telling him about his family earlier that day.

Artemis kept up the act. "It's okay, Gwaine." He rubbed Gwaine's head.

Shauna looked distraught. "Oh, Arty." She whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You didn't know. Just bear with me if I don't know something I should, alright?"

"Of course!" Shauna bobbed her head furiously. "I'll help in any way I can!"

"I'd appreciate that." Artemis did his best to smile in a non-vampire-like way. The two began walking again.

"So, you wanted to know what Aura is, right?"

"Yes, I do. It wasn't mentioned in the guide I got."

'Hmm. Well, basically, Aura is kind of like - well, I mean, it's hard to explain." Shauna frowned. "It's sort of like an energy. All Pokémon have it, and so do people, but ours don't really work the same way. For Pokémon, it's energy that protects the Pokémon, but that's not all it does. Um, my Gran always compared it to a shield, but that's not quite it either. Ooh!" Shauna stamped her foot into the ground, pouting impressively. "Why is this so hard to explain?!" She shouted as the two turned around a bend.

"Shauna?" A voice called out. Further along the path stood Serena, Serena's Fenniken, Trevor, and Tierno.

"Serena!" Shauna squealed, racing ahead to catch up with her friend. "Thank goodness you're here! Help me explain what Aura is to Artemis!"

"You don't know what Aura is?" Tierno blinked down at Artemis.

Artemis glared slightly at the taller boy. "No." he admitted.

"Well, it's not something fully understood, is it?" Trevor mused. "I know Professor Sycamore studies it, especially with how it connects to evolution, trainer bonds, and stuff like that."

"I just can't explain it right." Shauna said to Serena. "You've been studying to be a trainer for ages. Help me!"

"Okay, okay!" Serena laughed softly. "How about we take a quick break? I don't know about you, but my feet are really starting to hurt."

"That sounds like a good idea." Trevor nodded.

The five trainers cleared away some of the tall grass at the side of the road (resulting in a couple of battles for Artemis and Gwaine against the wild Bug Pokémon that seemed to enjoy shooting sticky webs at their legs) and sat in their makeshift clearing. At this point, Gwaine slid off onto Artemis's lap, and Foxfire flew off towards some nearby berry bushes. Artemis let her, figuring it was all the better if Foxfire could satisfy her appetite in the forest, rather than have to break into his supplies. Serena's Fenniken curled up in its trainer's lap for a nap, and Shauna's Froakie hopped off her head to sit in the grass beside her.

Serena turned to Artemis. "Okay, Aura. To give you the textbook definition, Artemis, Aura is a life force that all creatures, including both people and Pokémon, are capable of producing and some items and minerals are capable of storing, though a human's Aura doesn't work the same way a Pokémon's does, or like a stored Aura does."

"Shauna mentioned that. What exactly are the differences?"

"Well, for Pokémon, Aura is used in a number of different ways. The main thing is that Aura protects Pokémon from harm. It acts a bit like a shield, preventing any serious harm from coming to the Pokémon. The thing is, Aura can be depleted if it's used constantly in a short period of time. It runs out, and that's actually what causes a Pokémon to faint. If its Aura levels drop to a dangerously low level, the Pokémon's body shuts down so it won't use up any more."

"But that's not all it can do." Trevor piped in.

Serena nodded. "Right. Pokémon can also use their Aura to raise Attack and Defense. It's hard to explain, especially because we're not really sure how it's done, like Trevor said earlier. I'm not very clear on that, though."

Trevor took over. "What we know for certain is that Pokémon can use certain moves that manipulates their Aura in a number of different ways. Some moves let the user put more power behind their moves, resulting in a higher attack power. Others can strengthen their Aura to make it harder for hits to deplete Aura levels. Other moves can actually decrease Aura levels in other Pokémon. Growl and Leer, for example, lower a Pokémon's Attack levels and Defense levels, respectively. Some moves can restore Aura that's been lost, some can channel Aura into increasing Speed, and some attacking moves will result in a lose or gain of Aura in Attack or Defense. We have no idea how that works, though." Trevor frowned.

"The problem is," Tierno butted in, "that moves aren't consistent. Sometimes Aura levels can be raised in one category without a lose in any others, but other times it can't. You'd expect that raising Attack power using Aura would result in a lose of Aura in Defense, but it doesn't always. The extra Aura power is coming from somewhere, but we have no idea where. There are limits too, based on a Pokémon's age and experience. That's actually where levels come from; it's a measure of Aura levels and potential."

"Wow." Shauna whispered. "I had no idea it was actually that complicated."

"Did that make any sense, Artemis?" Trevor asked.

Artemis frowned. His mind was spinning, taking in this new revelation. The other interns were right; it didn't quite make sense, unless the Law of Conservation didn't apply in this land. He doubted that, though. There had to be an explanation that simply hadn't been theorized or discovered yet. Perhaps an enzyme of some sort that kicked in and produced this energy? A reserve of energy that wasn't normally active unless called upon? The possibilities were mind-boggling.

The others were still waiting for an answer. "I suppose so." He slowly answered.

"Bottom line, Pokémon battle until their Aura levels are depleted, and extra Aura can be produced or redirected into Attack, Defense, or Speed." Serena summed up.

"Oh, and Potions are used to restore Aura levels by a certain amount depending on the strength of the Potion." Shauna chimed in, bringing the conversation back to its original point.

Now Artemis could see why the fact Potions could be used in battle was such a big deal. It could basically heal a Pokémon and potentially turn the tide of a battle.

"How does Aura work in people or when it's stored?" Artemis asked. "You mentioned that they didn't work the same way."

"Well, our Aura doesn't give us invincibility." Serena joked. "The only reason it's known that we have Aura is because our Aura is mainly used to interact with Pokémon Aura. At least, that's the theory."

"What?"

"Around 30 years or so ago," Trevor said, "we created the technology to detect Aura. Everyone's Aura is unique, like a fingerprint. Anyway, it was discovered that Aura can - well, rub off isn't exactly the right word, but imprint, almost, onto other beings with Aura. Aura interacts with other Aura, especially if they're exposed to each for long periods of time."

"I see." Artemis lied, slightly. The absurdity of all of this was giving him a headache. He stroked Gwaine's head thoughtfully, and the Chespin leaned into his touch, chittering happily.

"Well, we think that Aura is what induces evolution. How isn't really known, but when a Pokémon's Aura reaches certain levels, or interacts with stored Aura from certain rocks or stones, it induces evolution. We think." Trevor added sheepishly. "It's all really a lot of theory. It's one of the main topics of research at the Pokémon Research Lab, actually, since so little is actually known for certain about how Aura works. There's evidence for the stuff we just told you, but it's not concrete."

"Hmm. Well, thank you for telling me." Artemis said absently, the gears in his head turning at double speed. This was such a new concept, and he wasn't quite sure how to process it. It also made him question things. All creatures in this world had an Aura - did he? Could Pokémon sense Aura if they were capable of wielding it so effectively? He'd have to ask Gwaine and Foxfire the next time he was alone.

"But this was all really big news. How come you didn't already know at least something about it, Artemis?" Serena questioned.

Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor all shifted, looking a tad bit uncomfortable. Artemis looked at the two boys. "Professor Sycamore already told you?" Tierno nodded sheepishly.

Artemis turned back to Serena. "I have amnesia. I can't remember anything from before I woke up at the Pokémon Center. That's why I'm traveling, to try and figure things out."

"Oh." Serena flushed. "I'm sorry, Artemis."

"It's fine. You couldn't have known." Artemis stood, boosting Gwaine back up onto his shoulder. "I want to get to Santalune before sundown, so I'm going to go on ahead."

"Oh, I'm going too!" Shauna scrambled to her feet, closely followed by the others.

"I think we all want to get to town before dark." Tierno commented off-handedly.

Artemis called for Foxfire, who came flying back looking a bit more disheveled before and with some sticky webs clinging to her wings, but with a decidedly pleased expression. The pouch on his belt buzzed, and Artemis pulled out his Pokédex to see he had a notification. Sliding the device open, he saw that Foxfire had reached a high enough level that she was capable of learning the move Quick Attack. A little step-by-step guide to teaching moves followed on the screen.

"Foxfire," he said, "want to learn a new move?"

* * *

A few hours later, five trainers emerged from the forest. The sun was hovering along the horizon, temporary blinding Artemis as he walked clear of the forest. It had been an exhausting walk, but finally he had reached the home stretch.

It turned out that several trainers visiting Santalune City used the forest to train their Pokémon or catch new ones for their teams, and they had no problem challenging travelers to battles, one after the other. He must have had Gwaine and Foxfire battle at least 6 trainers on the way here. Thankfully, Shauna's mother and grandmother had stuffed her bag with Potions and Paralyze Heals, and Shauna was perfectly happy to share. The medicine in combination with short breaks after each battle insured that they made it through without incident.

The air was still warm as the group of trainers made their way to Santalune City, the lights of which could already be seen against the rapidly fading light of day. Serena was talking to Tierno about the Fletchling of her own she had caught in the forest and getting advice about what moves to teach to the small bird. Artemis half-listened, but was more preoccupied with Shauna and Trevor's conversation about the kinds of Pokémon that could be found along Routes 3 and 4. Several times, the red-haired boy mentioned recently discovered Pokémon that were classified as "Fairy-type". Artemis couldn't help but wonder if there was any connection between the "Fairies" of this world and the People of his own.

He also wondered if Aura was a thing that existed in his world. Perhaps Aura was like magic, except it was expressed differently in this world, used for battle rather than healing and evasion. A fairy's _Mesmer_ messed with the mind; could it actually mess with a human's perception of reality as dictated by their Aura? Theories and hypothesis's that Artemis was itching to test out were clambering around his head. He really hoped that there was a library of some sort here in Santalune. If not, he would have to proceed on to Lumiose City. As the largest city in the region and the site of the Kalos Pokémon Research Center, information should be easy to find.

"Ches!" Gwaine's cry broke Artemis's train of thought.

"What is it, Gwaine?"

The little Pokémon rubbed his stomach. "Ches, Chespin." He grumbled.

"Are you hungry?" Artemis dug through his bag and pulled out a small plastic bag. While walking through the forest, Serena and Shauna had been kind enough to point out different kinds of berries that grew throughout the region and what effects they had on Pokémon. Seeing no reason not to, Artemis had picked the blue Oran berries that helped restore Aura and a couple Pecha berries that would supposedly curing Poisoning.

Artemis passed a handful of the Oran berries to the Chespin. "I'm sorry I didn't think of it earlier. You had a big day; you must be starving."

"Chespin!" Gwaine cheered, snatching the Oran berries up and cramming them into his cheeks.

Indeed, in the forest, Gwaine had advanced several levels and even learned not just one, but two moves; the Normal move Tackle and a Rock-type move called Rollout. Rollout was particularly interesting, as it acted similarly to the Aura-altering moves that Trevor and Tierno had described, though its description suggested that it wasn't. The move grew more and more powerful every time it was used, and once it started it couldn't be stopped unless the opposing Pokémon knocked the attacker out or managed to Paralyze or flinch them. The thing was, it was only the power of the Rollout move that increased, and if the move was interrupted, the power immediately returned to normal. Curious.

Artemis passed a couple more Berries to the Fletchling on his other shoulder. Foxfire had learned Quick Attack, a move that let her move fast as lightning to strike at the opponent. It was a particular effective attack, one that Artemis used several times in the battles he was dragged into while walking thorugh the forest.

"Hey, Artemis." Serena quickened her steps to fall into pace beside him.

"Yes, Serena?"

"Are you doing the gym challenge?"

"I hadn't thought about it." Artemis answered honestly. "It's not really a priority."

"Oh, right." Serena ducked her head. "I just thought - well, it's difficult to travel around without badges."

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked.

"Well, not everyone is equipped to handle wild Pokémon. If a regular tourist ran into a wild Gogoat or Pangoro, for example, and didn't have Pokémon strong enough to fight back, they could get really hurt. So there are checkpoints all around the region at the beginnings of all the routes and caves and stuff. If you don't have the right badges, you can't travel on your own. You have to take a train or a bus or hire a trainer to escort you or give you a lift, and it can take a long time for those services to run."

"I see." Artemis said slowly.

"Just, I thought I should tell you. Earning badges makes it easier to get around. Plus, I think you would do well in the challenge." Serena added. "Shauna was telling me that you seem to have already really bonded with your Pokémon, and that you were offering her advice about her team."

"I was just telling her that she shouldn't catch another Water-type. Anyone could have told her that," Artemis side-stepped, "and Gwaine and Foxfire are . . . very easy to get along with."

"Che, ches." Gwaine snuggled into his neck. Foxfire nipped at his ear lightly.

Serena giggled. "I think they really like you."

"I suppose that's a good thing, then." Artemis gave Gwaine a scratch under his chin.

"I really think you can take on the gyms." Serena persisted. "You should try battling Viola tomorrow."

"Viola? She's the gym leader in Santalune, correct?"

"Yeah. She specializes in Bug-Types. With Foxfire, you should have no trouble battling her, especially if you teach Foxfire Peck before then."

"A Tierno-recommended move?"

Serena nodded. "He's really into learning the Pokémon moves. He said that any Pokémon can become powerful if they know the right moves. That's what he's doing for the professor now that we're here to do the Pokédex work; traveling around and researching powerful and rare moves."

"That sounds like a good philosophy. I'll keep it in mind." Artemis mused.

"So you'll give it a try?"

Artemis sighed. "Gwaine," he said, "Foxfire, would you want to try a gym battle?"

"Chespin!" Gwaine cheered.

"Ling!" Foxfire tweeted excitedly.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." Artemis looked to Serena. "Fine, I'll take a shot at it tomorrow. After I do some research. I want to learn more about my condition and see if I can find any clues to who I am."

"Of course." Serena nodded. "That's way more important than challenging the gyms. I just really would like to have a rival."

"A rival?" Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "Why would you want that?"

"Well, all the great trainers have had a rival." Serena smiled sheepishly. "Someone to push them past their limits and force them to train and get stronger. Red was rivals with Gary, and Lyra always said it was because of Silver that she was as strong as she was when she had to fight to disband Team Rocket."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, well, it's not important. My point is, I want someone that will force me to give it my all and fight for a victory. Shauna doesn't really care about battling to get stronger; she just wants to see the region and meet the Pokémon. Me? I want to be strong. I don't want to ever feel weak again."

Artemis frowned. _Again?_

"Anyway, would you? Will you be my rival?"

 _Why not?_ "Alright. I warn you, though, I may not be much of a rival."

Serena waved his concerns away. "I saw you battling in the forest. You've got a lot of potential, Artemis. You'll be a great rival." Serena stopped in the road and held out her hand. "Rivals?"

Artemis smiled, a vampire smile. "Rivals." He gripped Serena's hand tight. Something in Serena's face flickered, but to her credit, she smiled back and they shook.

* * *

Artemis walked through the green door of his assigned room and let out a sigh of relief. After hours of walking, he had finally made it to Santalune City. When they arrived, Tierno and Trevor had guided them to the Pokémon Center of the town, pointing out places of interest on the way. Artemis had seen a sign for a Trainer's School, and he was eager to see what he could learn there. It was too late to pop in now, though, and he was exhausted. Instead, he checked into a room at the Pokémon Center and picked up a Styrofoam cup of soup and a loaf of bread for dinner with the other four trainers at the counter in the corner of the lobby.

After the quick meal together, the group split up into the sleeping arrangements they had decided on when they arrived. The Center offered two kinds of rooms, doubles and singles. Since there were five of them, it was decided that Trevor and Tierno would take a double, Shauna and Serena would share a double, and Artemis would take one of the singles.

He had been given a small room in the back of the hall. The room was smaller than the average hotel room, but that was fine. It had a reasonably comfortable-looking bed, a small desk with a lamp and chair, and a rack on the wall to place his Pokeballs on. Also decorating the room were small platforms and perches for Pokémon to climb and sit on (Foxfire immediately flew and landed on one with a fake nest placed on it) and small baskets filled with worn plush toys and pet blankets. Built into the wall was a small fish tank (for Water-type Pokémon, Artemis supposed), and a small door led to a tiny bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower, and mirror.

Not bad for free.

Artemis plopped his bag and hat onto the desk and sat down on the bed. Gwaine scrambled off onto the mattress and looked at him. "Che?"

"One moment, Gwaine." Artemis called up his magic. " _What is it_?"

" _Why did you tell Serena and Shauna you didn't know your family_?" The Chespin asked.

" _I want to know why, too_." Foxfire said.

" _It's complicated_." Artemis said, lying down onto the propped up pillows. " _I don't actually have amnesia, but I'm pretending I do so I don't have to tell them why I don't know all the things I should know if I had grown up here_."

Foxfire few over to the bed. " _You told me you weren't from around here_."

" _That's right. I'm not. I'm not from this region, but I am also not from this world."_

Gwaine's eyes went wide. " _You're from another world_?" He gasped.

Artemis nodded. _"I come from a very different world, where there are no Pokémon and no such place as Kalos. I come from a world with magic and fairies instead of Pokémon_."

" _Wow . . ._ " The little Chespin stared at him with wide eyes.

" _Why don't you just tell them that_?" Foxfire asked.

" _I don't think they would believe me. They would think I was crazy or lying. I don't want to find out what happens to the insane in this world. I'd rather do my best to figure out a way back on my own_." Artemis explained.

" _I guess that make sense_." Foxfire chirped.

" _I'm hoping I can find a Pokémon or some kind of technology that can bring me back home, or at least help me make a machine to get myself back. I got a good look at the machine that got me here, and the technology of this world is far more advanced than the technology of my own. Surely there is a way. I just have to find it_."

" _I'll help you_!" Gwaine cried, raising a paw into the air.

Artemis smiled. " _Thank you, Gwaine. I appreciate that_."

" _I don't know what help I could be, but I'll do my best_." Foxfire said.

" _That's all I can ask of you. Right now, what we all need is some rest, so why don't we turn in for the night_?"

" _Good idea_." Foxfire blinked blearily.

" _Would either of you like to return to your Pokeballs_?"

Both of the Pokémon shook their heads.

" _I'll sleep up there_." Foxfire said, flying back to the nest and snuggling in.

" _I want to stay out here_!" Gwaine declared, plopping down on the bed.

" _Alright then_."

Artemis rose and undid the Pokeball belt, laying it on the desk. He slid off his boots and socks and placed them at the foot of his bed. He emptied his pockets of his wallet and the medicine Shauna had given him and put both in his bag. He pulled out the white T-shirt Nurse Joy had given him earlier that day and swapped it for the black he wore now, putting both the black T-shirt and the jeans in his bag and leaving him in the white T-shirt and his boxers. He stumbled to the bathroom and quickly relived himself and washed up his face and limbs washcloth over the sink, wiping away the sweat of the day.

He returned to the bedroom, threw back the comforter, and slid under the sheet. Gwaine crawled over and curled up against him like a cat, and one by one the three fell asleep after the first of many long days.


End file.
